Risala fi al-Shay wa al-Qahwa wa al-Dukhan
- Author died
- 1332 AH
- Editions
- Risala fi al-Shay wa al-Qahwa wa al-Dukhan
Risala fi al-Shay wa al-Qahwa wa al-Dukhan (Treatise on Tea, Coffee, and Tobacco) is an encyclopedic treatise by the Damascene scholar Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi (1283–1332 AH / 1866–1914 CE), examining the history, botanical properties, preparation, jurisprudence, and literary reception of tea, coffee, and tobacco .
Context and Composition
In his introduction, al-Qasimi states that his motivation for writing was not personal indulgence in these substances; he notes that he detested smoking tobacco and had never consumed it, nor did he possess a personal craving for tea or coffee . Rather, having accumulated scattered notes containing valuable information on the subject, he chose to select and organize them into a structured work . The treatise reflects the author's broad engagement with diverse cultural, historical, and scientific topics alongside his traditional religious scholarship .
Structure and Content
The treatise is organized into three main chapters (abwab), each divided into several sections (fusul) :
- Chapter One: On Tea (Fi al-Shay): Comprising ten sections, it addresses the etymology and linguistic origins of the word across languages—including Chinese (ta, tiya), Persian (chay), and the Maghribi dialect (atay)—as well as its botanical characteristics, harvesting stages, curing methods for trade, criteria of quality, commercial varieties (such as white, green, and black tea), and Arabic poetry composed in its praise .
- Chapter Two: On Coffee (Fi al-Qahwa): Comprising six sections, it discusses the classical linguistic meanings of qahwa, its physical and medicinal properties, and its role as a beverage favored by scholars, teachers, and writers to aid digestion and maintain mental clarity . It reviews the legal history concerning its permissibility, citing juristic treatises that affirmed its inherent lawfulness (ibaha) while distinguishing between the drink itself and blameworthy conduct in social gatherings, and concludes with verses in its praise by figures such as Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi .
- Chapter Three: On Tobacco (Fi al-Dukhan): Comprising seven sections, it outlines the various names applied to tobacco (tutun, tunbak, tibgh), its geographic origins in the Americas (noting the island of Tobago), and its historical introduction and cultivation across Europe, Asia, Damascus, and Egypt .
Publication
The work was printed in Egypt in 1320 AH (1902 CE) and in Damascus in 1322 AH (1904 CE) .
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