Wine Worshipped in Islam

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Debauchery in the eighth century? Indeed it was so.

Religious authority and alcohol were common companions in early Islam, according to Steven Judd, associate professor of Middle East history at Southern Connecticut State University, in his lecture entitled "It is Friday and the Caliph is Drunk: Wine and Religion in Early Islam."

Judd focused his lecture on a Caliph by the name of Al-Walid whose various drunken exploits would shock even the most hardened of alcohol consumers.

Picture this. The Caliph, a religious and moral examplar, sets out for his pilgrimage to Mecca. This pilgrimage, or Hajj as it is called in Arabic, is one of the five pillars of Islam, a time of religious devotion. The Caliph leaves with a caravan replete with alcohol, singing women and his best drinking buddies - all the essentials to ensure a quiet time of piety and reverence. The caravan makes its noisy way on to Mecca.

Once at the sacred shrine of worship called the Kabah, Al-Walid does not prostrate himself in spiritual fervor but rather pitches a party tent. The festivities get well under way as women and wine crowd the tent. What ensues is essentially an eighth century frat party with barley water in place of Busch Light.

Another such incident occurred when Al-Walid, off on a drinking binge, forgot all about a sermon he was supposed to deliver. Luckily for the Caliph, he had thoughtful buddies who were able to see through the haze of their intoxication enough to remind Al-Walid of his upcoming sermon. Still drunk, Al-Walid went off to dutifully compose.

The "sermon" that came out ended up being a 19-line poem complete with rhyme - far from a profound, comprehensive religious address. The sermon did, however, center on a religious theme as it discussed such Islamic ideals as anthropomorphism, predestination and obedience.

It may seem incongruous to us that Al-Walid would be so open about his drunkenness.

He displayed no apparent shame and made no effort to cover up his habits. According to his own interpretation of Islam, Al-Walid was not out of line and therefore had no reason to feel shameful. He viewed himself as a guide to be emulated.

Al-Walid's conduct may come as a shock to us, who have our own notions as to the role of alcohol in religion, but the truth is, alcohol played a significant role in the lives of many Islamic authority figures in the eighth century, said Judd. As Judd put it, "drunkenness was apparently endemic." There are even sources pointing towards Muhammad's proclivity for a good drink once in awhile, Judd revealed.

Judd's compelling lecture suggested that religious orthodoxy develops over hundreds of years. Islam then is not identical to Islam now. The code of conduct, interpretations of sources and general expectations have been in a state of evolution for centuries.

The Department of Religion and Cook Commons sponsored the lecture as part of the Islamic Studies Lecture Series for 2003-04.