Of their religion Mr. Kitts writes: [392] "In prayers they differ
both from Shias and Sunnis in that they follow their Mullah, praying
aloud after him, but without much regularity of posture. The times for
commencing their devotions are about five minutes later than those
observed by Sunnis. After the midday and sunset supplications they
allow a short interval to elapse, remaining themselves in the mosque
meanwhile. They then commence the afternoon and evening prayers and
thus run five services into three."
Mr. Thurston notes that the Bohras consider themselves so superior
to other sects that if another Muhammadan enters their mosque
they afterwards clean the spot which he has occupied during his
prayers. [393] They show strictness in other ways, making their
own sweetmeats at home and declining to eat those of the Halwai
(confectioner). It is said also that they will not have their clothes
washed by a Dhobi, nor wear shoes made by a Chamar, nor take food
touched by any Hindu. They are said to bathe only on Fridays, and some
of them not on every Friday. If a dog touches them they are unclean
and must change their clothes. They celebrate the Id and Ramazan a
day before other Muhammadans. At the Muharram their women break all
their bangles and wear new bangles next day to show that they have
been widowed, and during this period they observe mourning by going
without shoes and not using umbrellas. Mr. Conolly says of them:
"I must not omit to notice that a fine of 20 cowries (equally for
rich and poor) punishes the non-attendance of a Bohra at the daily
prayers. A large sum is exacted for remissness during the Ramazan,
and it is said that the dread of loss operates powerfully upon a
class of men who are particularly penny-wise. The money collected
thus is transmitted by the Ujjain Mullah to his chief at Surat,
who devotes it to religious purposes such as repairing or building
mosques, assisting the needy of his subjects and the like. Several
other offences have the same characteristic punishment, such as
fornication, drunkenness, etc. But the cunning Bohras elude many of the
fines and daily indulge in practices not sanctioned by their creed;
thus in their shops pictures and figures may be purchased though it
is against the commandments to sell the likeness of any living thing."
It has been seen that when a Bohra is buried a prayer for pity on his
soul and body is laid in the dead man's hands, of which Mr. Faridi
gives the text. But other Muhammadans tell a story to the effect that
the head Mullah writes a letter to the archangel Gabriel in which he
is instructed to supply a stream of honey, a stream of milk, water
and some fruit trees, a golden building and a number of houris, the
extent of the order depending on the amount of money which has been
paid to the Mullah by the departed in his lifetime; and this letter
is placed beneath the dead man's head in the grave, the Bohras having
no coffins. The Bohras indignantly repudiate any such version of the
letter, and no doubt if the custom ever existed it has died out.