Did people in Islamic societies drink alcohol?

by ludwigavaphwego

More specifically, because fermented drinks last much longer than plain water; did islamic societies drink alcohol and how did this work with the religious command to abstain?

Teutonic_Thrash

The short answer is yes. However the Islamic world is of course not homogeneous and so there are variations within it regarding alcohol. Therefore I'll concentrate on one society in particular: the characters of the Baburnama.

The Baburnama is the autobiography of the founder of the Mughal Empire, Babur. One of the main features of the book is Babur and his companions drinking and using other drugs. Babur and his milieu were originally from Central Asia, but obviously went on to conquer northern India. When a major character is first introduced in the narrative, Babur embarks upon a lengthy description of that person, including their habits. Babur's overall assessment does not seem to be overly influenced by a person's drinking habits. For example, his father Umar-Shaykh Mirza "used to drink a lot", held regular drinking parties, and "grew fond of ma'jun, which as far as I can tell is a cannabis edible. Yet he is described as liberal, good-natured, and having a "moral character equal to his liberality". Obviously, Babur is unlikely to criticise his father, but still, drinking is just one facet of his character. On the other hand, the portrayal of an uncle, Sultan-Mahmud Mirza, is considerably more negative. However it is not his continual wine drinking that appears to be the problem, but rather his practice of keeping catamites, which had subsequently become common throughout his court. Even here though, Babur begins the section by stating that Sultan-Mahmud's character and conduct were good. Babur himself wrestled internally with the idea of drinking. He succumbed, as drinking was clearly a major part of Central Asian culture, but he still often voiced doubt about drinking. Later in life he successfully renounced drinking.