Firman, a Persian word denoting a mandate or decree; among the Turks the term is applied to such decrees as issue from the Ottoman Porte, and also to passports, the right of signing which lies with the Sultan or a Pasha; the word is also used in India to denote a permit to trade.
Definition taken from The Nuttall Encyclopædia, edited by the Reverend James Wood (1907)
Firmament * Firmin, St.