“Coffee is the common man’s gold, and like gold it brings to every person the feeling of luxury and nobility.” (Shaykh Abd al–Kadir, wrote the earliest known manuscript on the history of coffee in 1588)

Coffee Legends

There are many legends about the discovery of coffee's stimulating effects. One of the oldest tells of a young goat herder in Ethiopia in around 850 AD. He had noticed, that after eating a certain kind of berry, his goats would become particularly lively.

Monks then tried the fruit but were so disappointed by the bitter flavour that they threw it in the fire. Soon, a delicious aroma was wafting around their nostrils. The monks were so curious that they used the roasted fruits to create a brew, which they saw as a gift from God because it helped them to stay awake half the night.

Discovery of Coffee

The culture of coffee-drinking goes back to the 11th century. It was then that coffee was first imported to Arabia from its original home in Ethiopia. The Persians were enraptured by the invigorating effects of this wonderful elixir. The word "coffee" comes from the ancient Arabic "qahwah".

In the second half of the 15th century, coffee spread to the Kingdom of Arabia via Mecca and Medina and went on to reach Cairo in 1510.

In the first half of the 16th century, the Osmanic Kingdom reached its zenith. Coffee came to play an increasingly important role in Arabia, Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt and in South Eastern Europe. The first coffee houses were opened in Damascus and Aleppo in 1530 and 1532.

Coffee a drink for the pious

For the pious Muslim over eight hundred years ago the night could not begin without a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

Coffee was the power drink of the pious. For the first 300 years after it was discovered, coffee was closely associated with Muslims, in particular the Sufi’s.

Believers consumed coffee to stay awake during the night in contemplation of Allah. Umar al – Shadhili introduced coffee as a drink to help his students during their nightly dhikr sessions. Dhikr sessions are popular among Sufi’s.

The name of Allah or a du’a (prayer) or a verse from the Quran is repeated so the belief in the oneness of Allah penetrates the heart.

This can be done at any time but many Tarikas spend a portion of the night in dhikr.

Between the years 1200CE & 1500CE Sufis wandered the Arabian Peninsula and used coffee during their dhikr sessions.