Storia do Mogor 70: Action against Bhang.

70

So accustomed are the Mahomedans to intoxication that the poor people, who have not enough funds to procure spirits, invented another beverage, called in the language of the country bang (bhang). It is nothing else than leaves of dried hemp ground down, which intoxicate as soon as taken. Aurangzeb also wanted to suppress this disorder. He therefore appointed an official under the title of matucib (muhtasib), whose business it was to prevent the use of this beverage or of others similar to it. Not a day passed that on rising in the morning we did not hear the breaking by blows and strokes of the pots and pans in which these beverages are prepared. But, seeing that the ministers themselves also drank and loved to get drunk, the rigour of prohibition was lightened by degrees.
Aurangzeb did another very ridiculous thing to show himself a scrupulous observer of the Faith. This was the issue of an order that no Mahomedan should wear a beard longer than four finger-breadths. Now the Moguls are much concerned with the preservation of their big beards, using for this many unguents. An official was appointed whose business it was, in company with his attendants and soldiers, to measure beards in the middle of the street, and, if necessary, dock them. This order was not carried out, except against ordinary people, the official not daring to meddle with the nobles or the soldiers for fear of receiving injury to himself. It was, however, amusing to see the official in charge of beards rushing hither and thither, laying hold of wretched men by the beard, in order to measure and cut off the excess, and clipping their moustaches to uncover the lips. This last was done so that, when pronouncing the name Ala (Allah, God), there might be no impediment to the sound ascending straight to heaven. It was equally quaint to see the soldiers and others covering their faces with their shawls when they beheld afar off the said official, for fear of some affront.