\u201cWine of Islam\u201d: How Muslims Discovered Coffee and Conquered the\nWorld<\/p>\n
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia \u2013 Coffee is today synonymous with modern\nlifestyles, productivity and global work culture. Yet behind the cup of\ncoffee consumed by billions of people every day lies a long history\nconnecting the Islamic world, global trade and transformed ways of human\nlabour.<\/p>\n
According to Superluminal, coffee was first introduced to the Islamic\nworld by the Shadhiliyya order in South Arabia during the 13th-15th\ncenturies. A sheikh from this order is believed to have discovered\ncoffee in Ethiopia, known as bun before bringing it to Yemen and\nintroducing its benefits as a sleep suppressant.<\/p>\n
To this day, this figure is revered as the patron of coffee farmers\nand drinkers. In some regions such as Algeria, coffee is still called\nshadhiliyya as a form of respect for this legacy.<\/p>\n
Initially for Worship, Then Spreading to Social Life<\/p>\n
According to the Folger Shakespeare Library, coffee in the form of\nhot drink began to be widely used by Sufi communities in Yemen in the\n15th century. They drank coffee to help them stay awake during zikr\nrituals and meditation throughout the night.<\/p>\n
Coffee consumption then expanded to the broader population, and even\nappeared in the vicinity of the Masjid al-Haram and became part of\nvarious religious rituals such as dhikr and mawlid. In Arabic, qahwa or\ncoffee previously referred to wine, which led Europeans to later call\ncoffee the \u201cWine of Islam.\u201d<\/p>\n
The development of coffee bean roasting techniques that are now the\nglobal standard also emerged during this phase, including refinements by\nPersian communities, marking coffee\u2019s transformation from religious\nritual to part of a wider social life.<\/p>\n
In coffee houses, artists, merchants, poets and officials met in one\nspace that did not previously exist in traditional social structures.\nActivities such as discussions, games, music and poetry readings became\npart of daily life.<\/p>\n
Egyptian ruler Ahmet Pasha leveraged coffee houses as a public\nservice venue to boost his political popularity. In Istanbul, the first\ncoffee house established by two Syrian entrepreneurs also grew rapidly\neconomically.<\/p>\n
Prohibitions and Scientific Debate over Coffee<\/p>\n
At that time, some groups attempted to ban coffee on the grounds that\nit was considered intoxicating and encouraged deviant behaviour. Coffee\nhouses were even accused of being centres of social rebellion and\ncompetitors to mosques as gathering spaces. Sultan Murat IV once ordered\nthe closure of all coffee houses in Istanbul.<\/p>\n
In the 16th century, some orthodox ulama equated coffee with\nprohibited substances such as alcohol and cannabis.<\/p>\n
However, these prohibitions did not last long. Coffee supporters,\nincluding doctors and legal scholars, argued that coffee is not\nmentioned in the Qur\u2019an and has effects that are the opposite of\nalcohol. Coffee increases alertness rather than causing\nintoxication.<\/p>\n
Coffee Enters Europe<\/p>\n
Coffee trade initially centred on the Red Sea region, with the port\nof Mocha in Yemen as the main distribution hub receiving supplies from\nEthiopia. From this network, coffee spread widely throughout the Islamic\nworld before eventually attracting European attention.<\/p>\n
Entering the 17th century, European trading companies began to enter\nthis trade route. Britain and the Netherlands gradually took over\ndistribution, and in the 18th century began cultivating coffee in their\ncolonial territories such as Indonesia, South India, Sri Lanka and the\nCaribbean.<\/p>\n
Coffee itself began entering Europe through port cities such as\nVenice in 1615, followed by Marseille in 1644 and London in 1651.\nHowever, the beverage only truly became popular among the elite in 1669,\nwhen it was introduced in Paris by Turkish ambassador Suleyman Mustapha\nKoca, which then became the starting point for coffee\u2019s expansion as a\nglobal commodity.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/wine-of-islam-how-muslims-discovered-coffee-and-conquered-the-world-1773755547", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }