The olive in the Qur'an: three verses that mention it

The olive tree and its fruit are mentioned several times in the Qur'an. This article lists the three most frequently referenced verses, with surah and ayah references so you can check them yourself.

This article gives references only. We make no health or medical claims from them, and offer no religious interpretation. For interpretation, consult a qualified scholar.

Surah At-Tin, verse 1

The ninety-fifth surah opens with an oath: "By the fig and the olive."

The surah takes its name from the fig named in that first verse. The olive is named alongside it, in the same verse.

Surah An-Nur, verse 35

This verse is known as the Verse of Light. Within an extended simile about light, a lamp is described as lit from "a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east nor of the west".

Olive oil was used as lamp fuel across the Mediterranean and the Middle East for thousands of years, and it is among the oldest recorded uses of the oil outside food.

Surah Al-Mu'minun, verse 20

This verse refers to "a tree issuing from Mount Sinai, which produces oil and a relish for those who eat".

The tree is widely understood to be the olive, and the verse names both the oil and its use as food.

Why the olive tree was familiar in that region

The olive is among the oldest crops cultivated by people, growing across the Mediterranean and the Levant for thousands of years. It withstands drought, lives a very long time, and produces an oil that keeps — three qualities that made it important where water was scarce.

That is why it appears in texts from the region: it was part of the daily life of the people reading them.

A note on references

The renderings above are plain and do not substitute for the original text. If you wish to check any of these verses, consult a mushaf and a recognised tafsir.

We also cite no hadith here. We are not in a position to verify a chain of narration, and an unverified narration should not be placed in front of readers as fact.