"Wine of Islam": How Muslims Discovered Coffee and Conquered the World
“Wine of Islam”: How Muslims Discovered Coffee and Conquered the World
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Coffee is today synonymous with modern lifestyles, productivity and global work culture. Yet behind the cup of coffee consumed by billions of people every day lies a long history connecting the Islamic world, global trade and transformed ways of human labour.
According to Superluminal, coffee was first introduced to the Islamic world by the Shadhiliyya order in South Arabia during the 13th-15th centuries. A sheikh from this order is believed to have discovered coffee in Ethiopia, known as bun before bringing it to Yemen and introducing its benefits as a sleep suppressant.
To this day, this figure is revered as the patron of coffee farmers and drinkers. In some regions such as Algeria, coffee is still called shadhiliyya as a form of respect for this legacy.
Initially for Worship, Then Spreading to Social Life
According to the Folger Shakespeare Library, coffee in the form of hot drink began to be widely used by Sufi communities in Yemen in the 15th century. They drank coffee to help them stay awake during zikr rituals and meditation throughout the night.
Coffee consumption then expanded to the broader population, and even appeared in the vicinity of the Masjid al-Haram and became part of various religious rituals such as dhikr and mawlid. In Arabic, qahwa or coffee previously referred to wine, which led Europeans to later call coffee the “Wine of Islam.”
The development of coffee bean roasting techniques that are now the global standard also emerged during this phase, including refinements by Persian communities, marking coffee’s transformation from religious ritual to part of a wider social life.
In coffee houses, artists, merchants, poets and officials met in one space that did not previously exist in traditional social structures. Activities such as discussions, games, music and poetry readings became part of daily life.
Egyptian ruler Ahmet Pasha leveraged coffee houses as a public service venue to boost his political popularity. In Istanbul, the first coffee house established by two Syrian entrepreneurs also grew rapidly economically.
Prohibitions and Scientific Debate over Coffee
At that time, some groups attempted to ban coffee on the grounds that it was considered intoxicating and encouraged deviant behaviour. Coffee houses were even accused of being centres of social rebellion and competitors to mosques as gathering spaces. Sultan Murat IV once ordered the closure of all coffee houses in Istanbul.
In the 16th century, some orthodox ulama equated coffee with prohibited substances such as alcohol and cannabis.
However, these prohibitions did not last long. Coffee supporters, including doctors and legal scholars, argued that coffee is not mentioned in the Qur’an and has effects that are the opposite of alcohol. Coffee increases alertness rather than causing intoxication.
Coffee Enters Europe
Coffee trade initially centred on the Red Sea region, with the port of Mocha in Yemen as the main distribution hub receiving supplies from Ethiopia. From this network, coffee spread widely throughout the Islamic world before eventually attracting European attention.
Entering the 17th century, European trading companies began to enter this trade route. Britain and the Netherlands gradually took over distribution, and in the 18th century began cultivating coffee in their colonial territories such as Indonesia, South India, Sri Lanka and the Caribbean.
Coffee itself began entering Europe through port cities such as Venice in 1615, followed by Marseille in 1644 and London in 1651. However, the beverage only truly became popular among the elite in 1669, when it was introduced in Paris by Turkish ambassador Suleyman Mustapha Koca, which then became the starting point for coffee’s expansion as a global commodity.