How the rise of Sufi Islam, brought about the rise of the coffee industry
“Any soul that drank the nectar of your passion was lifted. From that water of life he is in a state of elation. Death came, smelled me, and sensed your fragrance instead. From then on, death lost all hope of me.”
—By Rumi, from the Thief of Sleep
Rumi’s mesmerizing stanza could be seen as a great example of the effect of coffee drinking on art, or on poetry as an art form. It is not a new phenomenon, that intoxicants can help to release the inhibited creative ability, which is released when being elevated into an almost spiritual like state. And maybe it was for this reason that in the early generations of coffee use by the Sufi orders, we saw the great birth of Islamic lyrical excellence. Apart from repetitive and faithful worship, during the long hours of the night, coffee was a substance and a link from the muddy ground of the harsh painful earth to the life of the heavenly realms of God. This is the state which Sufi worshippers work towards, making the spiritual connection during worship rituals. So it is not a surprise when this golden age of Islam which, in fact could be coined as the golden age of Sufism when we saw the flourishing of the arts and culture which were well supported by those in power, namely the Abbasid caliphate, who ushered in the dawn of the great Islamic golden age.
Whilst the Sufi orders were immersed in mystical worship whilst drunk with caffeine-induced intoxication, the Abbasids focused on the use of art as a form of social development.
Islamic art and architecture carries with it, it’s distinctive characteristics that has given many different nations its beautifully intricate influence. The movement of Islamic art and architecture across nations and borders has its foundations with the first Islamic Umayyad Caliphate, with the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus in Syria being one of the first and monumental examples of early generation Islamic architecture. This was amidst large social changes, where Persians were encouraged to immerse themselves within a unified Islamic states bringing with them of course their rich cultural influence which we see throughout the artistic remains of this period.
One of the most famous works of this period, the One Thousand and One Nights, were well known stories passed orally within the Persian mystic circles of the time, prior to the establishment of Sufi orders. With the first seeds of the Sufi order being planted firmly during the time that coffee was discovered in Ethiopia, the father of the Sufi Shadhili Tariqa, Abul Hasan Ali Ash-Shadhili was astounded at the positive effects that coffee had on the body and mind and with this he started the trend in Sufi worshippers consuming what came to be known as Muslim wine.
In the backdrop of the Islamic Golden Age we saw the development of sciences, philosophy and most importantly, the literatures and the arts. During this time of cultural development came a time also when Persian, Arab and non-Arab peoples and different religions melted together, developing a rich cultural heritage. Caliph Al-Mansur had created a round city, an architectural wonder called Madinat Al Salam or better known as Baghdad, which consisted of a mosque at its centre and gates that led to bustling Souqs or markets and with Baghdadi houses designed in their unique style. This style became what we now know today as the typically Spanish style or moorish homes, featuring courtyard centre pieces and rooms with open balconies, originating from the Baghdadi Islamic architectural concepts brought to the Maghreb, and in turn taken to Spain during the period of the Cordoba Caliphate. Caliph Al-Mutawakkil of the Abbasid Caliphate had also designed The Great Mosque of Samarra which was known for its spiraling minaret. And amongst all this development and economic activity, the alley ways of Baghdad and Khorasan were scented with the scent of coffee amidst the faint sounds of the Sufi murmering of prayers throughout the nights.
The mesmerisingly beautiful Sema rituals performed by the Sufi Muslims of the Mevlevi Order had originated from Jalal Ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, or otherwise known simply as Rumi. Rumi being the epitome of poetic thought had really contributed towards shaping and defining the Islamic era and without a doubt, he would have done so whilst being in the realms of caffiene intoxication. Through his poetry were are able to understand his feelings through his mystical couplets. In turn through the Sema ceremonies, we see Dhikr or worship as a beautiful expression of spiritual art.
Sufi dhikr and the use of coffee during sessions of worship had helped dramatically heighten the demand for coffee domestically within Muslim lands and it signaled the coming of the coffee economy for the very first time. The demands for coffee increased with the spread of Sufism across the Islamic lands between the 12th and the 15th centuries and by the 16th century, coffee had taken its place in Yemen. A port was established for coffee trading, in a town called al-Mocha.
The spread of Islam into Spain, meant the spread of Sufi traditions and spirituality and with it they brought with them coffee. It was during the Islamic golden age that Spain got its first taste of coffee, and of course the intricate poetic literal culture that came with it. Renowned Andalusian Sufi scholar, Ibn Arabi had completed important works of poetry, as well as studies into spiritual anthropology. Like Rumi, Ibn Arabi’s poetry was very mystical and deeply spiritual, and what he describes as “divine inspiration”. He believed that his works were at the “command of God, sent to me in sleep or through a mystical revelation”.