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Bohras are a subset of Tayyibi, Ismaili branch of Shia Islam. The Bohras trace their heritage to the Fatimid Caliphate, named after Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, and so veneration of the Fatimid Imams and Muhammad’s family is central to their faith. In western India, the Ismaili converts, mostly of Hindu descent, are known as Bohras, a name believed to have been derived from the Gujarati […]

In the previous article we introduced two of the most famous Shia religious rituals for Iraqi women. In this part we are going to introduce two more of the women’s ritual in this country.   Chay al-Abbas Chay al-Abbas, literally  “Abbas’ tea,”  is one of the Shia religious rituals for Iraqi women and it is […]

Shia women’s religious rituals in Iraq are affected by the notion of a split between public and private worlds was a common paradigm in the mid–twentieth century that was used to describe the behavior of men and women in Middle Eastern society. The woman’s world was supposedly the private world, the world of the family, […]

Moharram rituals are part of a rich fabric of Shia religious activities. It is a month of intensified piety, and due to its public nature, men dominate, though both genders participate. These rituals span from public-based to domestic-based ceremonies. A while ago, a fieldwork was conducted in Aliabad (a village near Shiraz) to learn more […]

Muharram women rituals in Peshawar Pakistan has played a significant role in the Shia community of the country since Shias from various ethnic groups has strengthened their ties with each other, increasing communication and joining each other’s rituals. As a survey showed, Muharram women rituals in Peshawar Pakistan has helped them build unity and ties […]

As we discussed in the previous article, the month of Muharram is commemorated by the Bohras in numerous ways. Muharram rituals among Bohras extend for a total of forty days—the prescribed period of mourning. The first ten days are characterized by intense piety, with a tapering off for the remaining period. The Bohri mahalleh and […]

Year-round expression of popular piety is the hallmark of the Bohra sect. One need only examine their calendar to find it marked with important days of birth and death anniversaries of the Prophet, his family, and other saints and holy persons. The Month of Ramadan However, three months in the Islamic calendar see a heightening […]

The Muslim community in South Asia is composed of the majority Sunni and the minority Shi’i sects. Shi’is are divided into two major groups: the larger Twelver and the smaller Isma’ili sect. The Bohra sect and Khojas are sister subsects of the Isma’ili branch. Among the Bohras there are several divisions—Daudi, Sulaymani, Aliya, and Mahdibaghwalla, […]

The Suffering of Lady Fatima al-Zahra after Holy Prophet One of the undeniable historical facts that all Muslim historians, regardless of their school of thought, unanimously agree upon is that the beloved daughter of the Prophet, Lady Fatima al-Zahra died within three months after him; as a result of the great pain and suffering she […]

Shias in Singapore Since Shia Muslims are a minority in the country, there are not many Shia centers in Singapore. Sunnis are the majority of Muslims in Singapore, with Shias making up less than 1 per cent of the Muslim population there. Early Presence Twelver Shias have been in Singapore since before the First World […]