Who were ulema?what is Fatwa?

The Arabic term Ulama, according to the Encyclopedia of Islam (2000), in its original meaning "denotes scholars of almost all disciplines".More specifically, in the context of Sunni Islam, ulama are regarded as "the guardians, transmitters and interpreters of religious knowledge, of Islamic doctrine and law.

A fatwa in the Islamic faith is a nonbinding but authoritative legal opinion or learned interpretation that the Sheikhul Islam, a qualified jurist or mufti, can give on issues pertaining to the Islamic law. The person who issues a fatwa is called, in that respect, a mufti, i.e. an issuer of fatwa, from the verb afta = "he gave a formal legal opinion on". This is not necessarily a formal position since most Muslims argue that anyone trained in Islamic law may give an opinion (fatwa) on its teachings. If a fatwa does not break new ground, then it is simply called a ruling.>