Mohammed and the Archangel Gabriel
Often in a slumber, Mohammed prayed Allah to help him. Allah sent down to him the Archangel Gabriel and a bottle of potion, hot and dark as the "Mecca's Kaaba". Gabriel revealed to the prophet the advantages and the way to prepare this potion. Once the bottle was emptied, Mohammed felt totally energized and could then defeat forty cavaliers and honor as many women.
Islam and Coffee
The Muslims were convinced that this drink was a gift from Allah et became almost fans of the beverage, as we can see in this poem, written by Mohammed's son, the cheik Abdal-Kader Anasari Djezeri Haubuli.
O Coffee ! You're chasing away the troubles of the great ones: you're bringing back the ones lost in the roads of knowledge. Coffee is the beverage of God's people, and the hearty of all servants, thirsty of wisdom.
All of our troubles disappear when the cup holder presents you the delicious chalice. It will be circulating freely in your veins but it won't stay: if you would doubt it, look at the beauty and youth of the ones who drink it.
Coffee is the beverage of God's people: in it lies health...
Whoever saw the almighty chalice will hate the wine. Glorious beverage! Your color is purity, and the reason proclaims you authentic. Drink confident, and do not listen to gossips of dumb who have condemned without proofs...
O Coffee ! You're chasing away the troubles of the great ones: you're bringing back the ones lost in the roads of knowledge. Coffee is the beverage of God's people, and the hearty of all servants, thirsty of wisdom.
All of our troubles disappear when the cup holder presents you the delicious chalice. It will be circulating freely in your veins but it won't stay: if you would doubt it, look at the beauty and youth of the ones who drink it.
Coffee is the beverage of God's people: in it lies health...
Whoever saw the almighty chalice will hate the wine. Glorious beverage! Your color is purity, and the reason proclaims you authentic. Drink confident, and do not listen to gossips of dumb who have condemned without proofs...
Omar, the Saint of Mocha
Banned of his hometown, Omar became a hermit, almost dying of hunger in the desert. One day, he found red berries growing close to the cave where he lived alone. He chewed them, but finding them too bitter, he decided to roast them to get a better taste out of them and then boil them to get them softened. Then, he drank the water in which he boiled the fruit; he felt instantly better and energized. This state of being full of energy lasted couple days.
This legend has another variant; Omar would have seen a beautiful bird with magnificent feathers and marvelous singing. When he would get closer to the bird, he only found a small tree with flowers and red fruits. He filled his basket with the fruits thinking he would prepare a delightful dinner. Once he got back to his cave, he had this idea of boiling those fruits and got from it a brown beverage.
Though, the two stories stipulate that ill people came by to visit Omar in his cave and that this miraculous beverage cured them all. The news of this miracle spread into Mocha, and Omar came back to his hometown as a true hero and has been declared as the Saint of the city.
Another legend has spread about the Saint of Mocha. Indeed, Ali ben Omar al-Shadili, a big master of the Islamic mystic community of the Sufis, would have lived in Ethiopia before living in this small community of Yemen, which will become later known as Mocha. He would have found those coffee fruits during his escape, to bring them back to Yemen and started the culture of it. The story also tells that Omar would have offered a good coffee cup to a Indian captain, suffering of tiredness and this event would have spread the reputation of this beverage in Orient. This way, Mocha would have become the first international port for close to one century, from 1650 to 1750, for coffee exportation. Today, it is still possible to honor the Saint of the coffee farmers and coffee lovers at the Mocha's Mosque, built over top Ali ben Omar al-Shadili's grave.
This legend has another variant; Omar would have seen a beautiful bird with magnificent feathers and marvelous singing. When he would get closer to the bird, he only found a small tree with flowers and red fruits. He filled his basket with the fruits thinking he would prepare a delightful dinner. Once he got back to his cave, he had this idea of boiling those fruits and got from it a brown beverage.
Though, the two stories stipulate that ill people came by to visit Omar in his cave and that this miraculous beverage cured them all. The news of this miracle spread into Mocha, and Omar came back to his hometown as a true hero and has been declared as the Saint of the city.
Another legend has spread about the Saint of Mocha. Indeed, Ali ben Omar al-Shadili, a big master of the Islamic mystic community of the Sufis, would have lived in Ethiopia before living in this small community of Yemen, which will become later known as Mocha. He would have found those coffee fruits during his escape, to bring them back to Yemen and started the culture of it. The story also tells that Omar would have offered a good coffee cup to a Indian captain, suffering of tiredness and this event would have spread the reputation of this beverage in Orient. This way, Mocha would have become the first international port for close to one century, from 1650 to 1750, for coffee exportation. Today, it is still possible to honor the Saint of the coffee farmers and coffee lovers at the Mocha's Mosque, built over top Ali ben Omar al-Shadili's grave.