Islamic History of Coffee
Many Muslim Americans see coffee as a new age staple - a Starbucks on virtually every corner of the country has redefined our relationship with coffee and how we drink it. We hope that in our little corner, we can help you reconnect to the origins of coffee and the rich history of the coffee house too.There is some ambiguity as to who originally discovered the coffee bean, but many believe that it was in the Ethiopian mountains. There was a farmer named Kaldi who would let his sheep graze in a particular area. He noticed that they would get hyper and much more energized, so he picked the plant and ate it.
The earliest evidence of people roasting coffee and drinking it came in the mid 15th century in Yemen. Muslims would roast coffee and began to drink it in a preparation very similar to how it is consumed in modern yemen. The drink rose in popularity amongst the deeply spiritual Sufis, who would drink coffee to help them stay alert as they stood in their nightly prayers of tahajud.
The drink quickly spread through the Middle East, Turkey and Persia. People would not only prepare coffee at home, but public coffee houses began to pop up throughout the region. These shops, called “qahwas,” soon became a cornerstone of social life. They developed into a hub for intellectual, spiritual, artistic discussion and engagement in addition to that of relaxation and brotherhood. Eventually they were called “The Schools of the Wise” as many great scholars, activists, writers, artists, speakers and leaders all drew inspiration and growth from the “qahwa.”
Coffee became such an influence and spiritual tool in the lives of the Muslims that even the Pope eventually tried to ban the “Muslim Wine” from being consumed throughout Europe. He obviously failed and the drink gained unstoppable popularity. The first documentation of the word “coffee” in the English language was in 1584 via the Dutch word “koffie,” which drew its name from the word “qahwa”.
We hope to bring the same spirit to Qahwa today!
We pray that we become a hub for intellectual discussion, artistic expression and spiritual growth for every person who walks through our door. We hope that we foster a spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood while holding so much pride in the history that coffee has and in the role that Muslims had to play in it. We want to reclaim the drink as a piece of our history and not as the red cup we absentmindedly sip from a drive-thru on our way to something else. Rather, we hope to become a hub for mindful consumption for the body, mind and soul.
Here’s to reclaiming Qahwa, Ameen!