Olive oil (زيت الزيتون, zayt al-zaytun) is pressed from the fruit of Olea europaea. It is a staple food, a cooking fat and, for many Muslim households, a remedy kept for skin, hair and the kitchen alike. It is also one of the most frequently mislabelled foods in the world, so the quality of the bottle matters as much as its reputation.
This guide covers the physical product: where it appears in the Quran and Sunnah, what modern research shows about its compounds, how to judge a bottle, and when caution is needed. It does not recommend a brand or a medicinal dose.
Medical disclaimer. This article is educational, not medical advice, and is not independently medically reviewed. Olive oil is a food; research on diets rich in it does not make it a treatment for any disease. Ask your clinician before using it in the ear, on broken or infant skin, or in large amounts alongside medicines. Never replace prescribed treatment with olive oil.
Olive Oil in Scriptural and Islamic History
Unlike saffron, the olive is named directly in the Quran, several times.
The blessed tree
In the Verse of Light (Quran 24:35), Allah's light is likened to a lamp "lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if no fire touched it." Classical commentators such as al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir discuss the tree's blessing in terms of its abundance and benefit, while the verse itself is chiefly about divine guidance, not nutrition.
Allah also swears by the fig and the olive (Quran 95:1) and mentions "a tree growing out of Mount Sinai that produces oil and a relish for those who eat" (Quran 23:20). Commentators identify this tree as the olive.
The narration on eating and anointing
Jami' al-Tirmidhi 1851 records the instruction: "Eat olive oil and anoint yourselves with it, for it is from a blessed tree." Hadith scholars have graded its chains differently; Imam al-Tirmidhi himself noted weakness in one route, while other routes and supporting narrations led many scholars to accept its meaning. Across the four schools, using olive oil as food and as an oil for the body is uncontroversially permissible and widely regarded as a good Sunnah-linked habit.
What the narration does not do is set a dose, name a disease, or promise a cure. Ibn Qayyim's al-Tibb al-Nabawi discusses olive oil in the humoral medicine of his time; those descriptions are historical medicine, not modern clinical evidence.
What Modern Research Shows
The compounds that matter
Olive oil is mostly oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat. Extra virgin oil also keeps minor compounds that refining removes:
- Hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol — phenolic antioxidants.
- Oleocanthal — the compound behind the throat "catch" of fresh oil. A 2005 study in Nature found it inhibits the same COX enzymes as ibuprofen in the laboratory (Beauchamp et al., 2005). The amounts in a normal diet are far lower than a painkiller dose, so this is not a reason to use oil as pain relief.
- Squalene, tocopherols (vitamin E) and pigments.
Heart health
- PREDIMED trial: in Spanish adults at high cardiovascular risk, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil (about 4 tablespoons a day) was linked with fewer major cardiovascular events than a reduced-fat control diet (Estruch et al., NEJM 2018). The original 2013 report was retracted and republished after randomisation problems, and the benefit came from a whole diet, not oil alone.
- US FDA: allows a qualified claim that about 1.5 tablespoons (20 g) a day of oils high in oleic acid, replacing saturated fat and without adding calories, may reduce coronary heart disease risk — "supportive but not conclusive" evidence (FDA, 2018).
- EU / EFSA: approved a claim that olive oil polyphenols help protect blood lipids from oxidative damage, but only for oils supplying at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and related compounds per 20 g (EFSA, 2011). Many supermarket oils do not reach this level.
Skin and hair
Olive oil is a traditional moisturiser, but research is mixed. A small trial in adults found that olive oil applied to skin for four weeks weakened the skin barrier, while sunflower seed oil did not (Danby et al., 2013). That matters for people with eczema and for baby massage.
What it does not show
There is no reliable evidence that drinking spoonfuls of olive oil cures disease, "detoxes" the liver, dissolves gallstones or treats cancer. Claims like these are a warning sign on any product page.
How to Buy Real Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive oil grades are set by the International Olive Council. Use these checks:
- Grade on the label. "Extra virgin" is the top grade: mechanically pressed, free acidity of 0.8% or less, and no taste defects. "Pure", "light" and "olive oil" usually mean refined oil with few polyphenols.
- Harvest date, not just best-before. Polyphenols fall over time. Choose the most recent harvest, ideally within 12–18 months.
- Dark glass or tin. Light and heat damage the oil. Avoid clear plastic on a bright shelf.
- Specific origin. A named estate, region or PDO/PGI seal is more accountable than "a blend of EU and non-EU oils."
- Polyphenol figure with a lab report. Some producers state total phenols (for example in mg/kg). Ask for the batch analysis; a number without a report is marketing.
- Taste. Fresh extra virgin oil should smell green or fruity and may taste bitter with a peppery throat sting. Musty, greasy, vinegary or crayon-like flavours point to old or defective oil.
- Price realism. Genuine extra virgin oil costs more to make. A very cheap litre is a reason for doubt, not a bargain.
- Ignore home tests. Putting oil in the fridge to see if it clouds does not prove it is extra virgin; many oils cloud and some genuine ones do not. Only laboratory and sensory panel testing can confirm grade.
- Avoid cure claims. A seller who says the oil treats illness is breaking food-labelling rules and is less likely to be careful about quality.
Strict Medical Warnings
- Ears: olive oil drops are sometimes used to soften earwax, but never put anything in an ear with a perforated eardrum, grommets, discharge, pain or sudden hearing loss. See a clinician first (NHS: earwax build-up).
- Babies and eczema: given the skin-barrier findings above, ask your health visitor or doctor before using olive oil for baby massage or on eczema-prone skin.
- Calories: one tablespoon has about 120 kcal. Adding oil on top of your diet, rather than replacing other fats, can cause weight gain.
- Gallbladder and digestion: large amounts of fat can trigger pain in people with gallstones. "Olive oil flushes" for gallstones are not supported and can be dangerous.
- Medicines: normal food amounts are not known to cause problems, but tell your doctor if you take large daily doses or concentrated olive-leaf or polyphenol supplements, especially with blood pressure or diabetes medication.
- Allergy: rare, but stop and seek help if you get a rash, swelling or breathing difficulty — olive pollen allergy is more common in some regions.
- Cooking: extra virgin oil is stable for normal cooking, but discard oil that has smoked heavily or been reused many times.
How People Use It
- As a cooking and salad oil in place of butter, ghee or other saturated fats.
- Drizzled on bread, za'tar or vegetables, following the Sunnah of eating it.
- As a light oil for hair or the body, patch-testing first on a small area of skin.