Olive Oil for Ruqyah: How the Practice Works
Olive oil ruqyah is one of the most common household forms of ruqyah: verses of the Qur'an and authentic supplications are recited over plain olive oil, which is then rubbed onto the body or taken in a small amount by mouth. People reach for it when they feel unwell, unsettled or afraid of the evil eye, and they usually learn it from a parent, an imam or a local raqi. This guide explains how the practice works step by step, what is normally recited, which scholars have permitted it and on what conditions, and which popular narrations are not authentic. It describes the practice as it is practised. It does not promise a cure, and it does not replace a doctor.
If you are looking for a known-origin olive oil for your kitchen and your household, see our single-estate Marrakech extra virgin olive oil.
The Short Answer
- Ruqyah is recitation of the Qur'an and authentic supplications to seek Allah's protection and healing. The Prophet ﷺ permitted it as long as it contains no shirk (Sahih Muslim 2200).
- In olive oil ruqyah, a person recites over a container of plain olive oil, blows lightly over it, and then wipes the oil on the body or takes a little by mouth.
- Commonly recited: Surah Al-Fatihah, Ayat al-Kursi (2:255), Surah Al-Ikhlas, Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas, following the Prophet's ﷺ own practice of reciting the last three and wiping over his body (Sahih al-Bukhari 5017).
- Olive oil is used because the Prophet ﷺ told his companions to eat it and anoint themselves with it, "for it comes from a blessed tree" (Sunan Ibn Majah 3319, graded sahih).
- Scholars including Sheikh Ibn 'Uthaymeen and Sheikh Ibn Jibreen permitted reciting over oil; the healing belongs to Allah alone, and the oil has no power of its own.
- Ruqyah sits alongside medical care, not in place of it. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Make use of medical treatment" (Sunan Abi Dawud 3855). Anyone who is unwell should also see a qualified clinician.
What Ruqyah Is, and Why Olive Oil Is Part of It
Ruqyah (plural ruqa) means seeking protection or healing by reciting words over a person. Before Islam, Arabs used incantations of many kinds, some of them calling on beings other than Allah. When the companions asked about them, the Prophet ﷺ set the rule that still governs the practice. 'Awf ibn Malik al-Ashja'i (RA) reports that he said: "Let me know your invocation", and then: "There is no harm in the invocation as long as there is no polytheism in it" (Sahih Muslim 2200).
The Qur'an describes itself as a source of healing: "And We send down of the Qur'an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss" (Surah Al-Isra 17:82, Sahih International). The Sunnah shows ruqyah with the Qur'an in practice. Aisha (RA) describes how, every night, the Prophet ﷺ "used to cup his hands together and blow over it after reciting Surat Al-Ikhlas, Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas, and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub", three times (Sahih al-Bukhari 5017). During his final illness, she recited the same two surahs, blew over him and had him wipe his body with his own hand (Sahih al-Bukhari 5735).
Olive oil enters the practice through a separate teaching. Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Season (your food) with olive oil and anoint yourselves with it, for it comes from a blessed tree" (Sunan Ibn Majah 3319, graded sahih by Darussalam). The same teaching is recorded from Umar (RA) in Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1851 and from Abu Usaid (RA) in Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1852. The Qur'an calls the olive "a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire" (Surah An-Nur 24:35, Sahih International). For the full set of verses and narrations, see our guide to olive oil in the Quran and the Sunnah.
Put together, those two strands explain the household practice. Recitation, blowing and wiping come from the Sunnah of ruqyah; olive oil is the oil the Prophet ﷺ told believers to anoint with. Note what these narrations do and do not say: they establish ruqyah and they establish anointing with olive oil, but no authentic narration describes the Prophet ﷺ reciting over a bottle of olive oil. Reciting over oil is a later practice that scholars judged permissible by analogy, as the next sections explain.
How Olive Oil Ruqyah Is Done: The Practice, Step by Step
Raqis and families describe the method in broadly the same way. In short: make wudu, recite over plain olive oil while blowing lightly over it, then apply it to the body or take a little by mouth. The steps below are the common pattern, not a fixed ritual.
- Start with plain olive oil. A clean glass bottle or bowl of pure olive oil, with nothing added. Any genuine olive oil is used; there is no special grade for ruqyah.
- Make wudu and sit somewhere clean and quiet. Wudu is a recommended courtesy for reciting the Qur'an, and many people face the qiblah.
- Recite. Most commonly Surah Al-Fatihah, Ayat al-Kursi (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255), the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, then Surah Al-Ikhlas, Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas, often three times each, with authentic supplications for healing.
- Blow lightly over the oil after reciting, close to the opening of the bottle or bowl. This is the dry blowing, with very slight moisture, known as nafth, modelled on the hadith of Aisha (RA) above.
- Close the bottle and keep it somewhere clean, as you would any food oil.
- Use it. People wipe a little on the head, the chest or a place of pain, or rub it over the body. Some take a small spoonful by mouth, since olive oil is a food the Sunnah encourages eating.
- Keep praying and keep seeing your doctor. Ruqyah is a du'a, not a dose. It sits beside the obligatory prayers, morning and evening remembrance, and whatever medical care the person needs.
Some people recite over the oil themselves; others ask a relative or a trusted person known for sound recitation and good character to do it. Nothing in the narrations above requires a specialist: the Prophet ﷺ recited over himself, and Aisha (RA) recited over him in his illness.
Two practical notes. Olive oil can irritate some people's skin, so test a little on the inside of the arm before rubbing it over large areas, especially on babies, children or anyone with eczema; our guide to olive oil for skin covers this. And because it is a food, it should be stored like one: capped, away from heat and light, and used while it still smells fresh.
What the Scholars Say About Reciting Over Oil
Reciting over water, oil or honey and then using it is a practice contemporary scholars have generally permitted. The positions below are attributed to their published sources; read the originals if you want the full reasoning.
- Sheikh Muhammad ibn Salih al-'Uthaymeen, asked about water over which the Qur'an had been recited, said he saw nothing wrong with it, reasoning that what remains in it is the trace of the reciter's breath, not the Qur'an itself (Fatawa Nur 'ala al-Darb 3/353–354, as quoted in Islam Question & Answer, fatwa 282867).
- Sheikh 'Abdullah ibn Jibreen, in the same fatwa, permitted applying olive oil over which the Qur'an had been recited, saying there is nothing wrong with it because only the trace of the recitation remains in the oil.
- The Islamweb Fatwa Centre states that "it is permissible to read the Quran over water, oil, honey, etc. and then give it to a patient to drink or to massage over his body" (fatwa 19262). A related fatwa on reciting over water lists Imam Ahmad, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, Sheikh Ibn Baz and Sheikh Ibn 'Uthaymeen among those who permitted it (fatwa 91106).
The same sources attach conditions. The classical summary comes from Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, who recorded that scholars agree ruqyah is permissible when three conditions are met: that it consists of the words of Allah or His names and attributes; that it is in Arabic or another language whose meaning is clear; and that it is not believed to have any effect in and of itself, but only by Allah's leave (Fath al-Bari 10/195, as quoted in Islam Question & Answer, fatwa 209745).
That third condition is the heart of the matter for olive oil. The oil is a means, like water or the breath of the reciter. Ibrahim (AS) puts it in the words the Qur'an records: "And when I am ill, it is He who cures me" (Surah Ash-Shu'ara 26:80, Sahih International).
Scholars differ on some details, such as how much weight to give reciting into a substance compared with reciting directly over the person, as in the hadiths above. If you are unsure which view to follow, ask a scholar you trust in your own community.
Narrations to Treat With Care
Much of what circulates about olive oil and ruqyah online is not authentic, and the rule for any Muslim writing about it is simple: rely only on sahih and hasan narrations, and leave the rest. Two examples come up often.
The first is a narration that Shaytan does not come near a person who applies olive oil for forty nights. Hadith scholars have rejected it: the HadithAnswers team describes its chain as extremely weak and records that Imam al-Bayhaqi declared it a fabrication (HadithAnswers, answer 119770). It should not be repeated as a saying of the Prophet ﷺ.
The second is the line that olive oil is "a cure for seventy diseases". It is widely shared on ruqyah pages, usually with no collection or grading given. We have not been able to trace it to an authentic source, so we do not rely on it. When a page quotes a hadith with no reference, the honest response is to check it on sunnah.com or ask a scholar before passing it on.
The authentic narrations are already enough. Olive oil is from a blessed tree, the Prophet ﷺ told believers to eat it and anoint with it, and ruqyah with the Qur'an is part of the Sunnah. Nothing needs to be added to that.
Ruqyah and Medical Care: Not Either-Or
The Sunnah does not ask anyone to choose between ruqyah and medicine. Usamah ibn Sharik (RA) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it, with the exception of one disease, namely old age" (Sunan Abi Dawud 3855, graded sahih by al-Albani).
In practice that means:
- If you or someone in your family has symptoms (pain, fever, a rash, low mood, anxiety, sleeplessness, seizures, sudden changes in behaviour), see a GP or another qualified clinician, whether or not you also do ruqyah.
- Do not stop prescribed medication because of ruqyah. Speak to your doctor first about any change.
- Seek urgent help (999 in the UK, 112 in Ireland and the EU, 911 in the US) for chest pain, breathing difficulty, a seizure, or thoughts of self-harm.
- Ruqyah practised properly involves no beating, no restraint and no withholding of care. Anything of that kind is not part of the Sunnah and can be dangerous.
For how Prophetic medicine fits alongside modern care more broadly, see our explainer on Prophetic medicine: what it is and is not.
Choosing Olive Oil for Ruqyah, and the Red Flags to Avoid
No narration specifies a grade, origin or brand of olive oil for ruqyah, and no scholar we found requires one. Any pure olive oil is suitable, including the bottle already in your kitchen. Two practical points still matter.
Make sure it is actually olive oil. If the oil will be eaten as well as rubbed on, buy it as you would any food oil: look for "extra virgin olive oil" on the label, a named origin, a harvest or best-before date, and dark glass or a tin. Our guide to choosing quality olive oil walks through the label in detail.
Be careful with "ruqyah oil" sold at a premium. Pre-recited oils are sold online and in some centres. Scholars have allowed payment for ruqyah, based on the hadith of the companions who recited Surah Al-Fatihah over a man who had been bitten and accepted sheep, which the Prophet ﷺ approved (Sahih al-Bukhari 5736). The same fatwas set limits: the raqi should use only what the Sharia has prescribed, should not pressure people for money, and should remind them that healing is in the hand of Allah alone (Islam Question & Answer, fatwa 60162). Warning signs that a seller or practitioner has gone past those limits:
- Promises that the oil will definitely remove sihr, the evil eye or jinn, or cure a named illness
- Recitation you cannot hear or understand, unfamiliar names, numbers, symbols or written charms
- Requests for your mother's name, personal belongings or an animal sacrifice
- Advice to stop medication, avoid doctors or keep the treatment secret from your family
- Escalating fees or "stronger" oils sold to the desperate
The Prophet ﷺ was clear that incantations mixed with shirk are forbidden; Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (RA) reports him saying that "spells, charms and love-potions are polytheism" (Sunan Abi Dawud 3883, graded sahih by al-Albani), referring to incantations that call on other than Allah, in line with the rule in Sahih Muslim 2200.
Why Sidr & Stone
We want to be plain about our role here. We sell an olive oil to eat and to use at home. We do not sell "ruqyah oil", we do not recite over our oil before it ships, and nothing about our bottle makes anyone's recitation more effective. If you recite over olive oil, any pure olive oil will do. What we can offer is an oil whose origin we know, because we grow it:
- Single-estate: from our own family-owned farm on the plains outside Marrakech, Morocco; we control every step from tree to bottle, with no blending
- Rain-fed and organically grown: no irrigation, and no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides
- Single-harvest batch: picked when the fruit is ready, in a small, limited batch
- Cold-pressed within hours of harvest: unfiltered extra virgin olive oil, so some natural sediment is normal
- 100% natural: a single ingredient, with nothing added
- 500ml dark glass to protect the oil from light
- 10% of profits to charity, and fulfilment in the UK, EU and US
We will not tell you our oil is the best olive oil for ruqyah; no such thing exists, and saying so would be exactly the kind of claim this article warns against. What we will say is that it is a genuine, single-estate extra virgin olive oil, and that we would rather tell you how it is grown than attach a promise to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is olive oil ruqyah?
It is the practice of reciting the Qur'an and authentic supplications over plain olive oil, blowing lightly over it, and then wiping it on the body or taking a little by mouth. Scholars including Sheikh Ibn 'Uthaymeen and Sheikh Ibn Jibreen permitted it, on the condition that the healing is believed to come from Allah alone.
Why is olive oil used rather than another oil?
Because the Prophet ﷺ told his companions to eat olive oil and anoint themselves with it, "for it comes from a blessed tree" (Sunan Ibn Majah 3319; Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1851 and 1852, all graded sahih). The Qur'an also describes the olive as a blessed tree (Surah An-Nur 24:35). Water and honey are used in the same way.
What should I recite over the olive oil?
The most common recitation is Surah Al-Fatihah, Ayat al-Kursi, the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, and Surah Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas, along with authentic supplications for healing. Recite clearly, in Arabic, and avoid anything whose meaning you do not understand.
Can I do olive oil ruqyah on myself and my children?
Yes. Reciting for yourself and your family is widely encouraged, and you do not need a raqi. Patch-test the oil on a small area of skin first, particularly for babies and anyone with sensitive skin, and keep any child who is unwell under the care of a doctor.
Does the olive oil need to be expensive or special?
No. No authentic narration or scholar we found requires a particular brand or grade. Any pure olive oil works; if it will also be eaten, choose a genuine extra virgin olive oil and store it like a food. Sidr & Stone's oil is a food olive oil, not a "ruqyah oil".
Is it permissible to pay for ruqyah or buy pre-recited oil?
Scholars have permitted payment for ruqyah, based on Sahih al-Bukhari 5736, provided the raqi uses only what the Sharia prescribes and does not exploit people. Be wary of anyone who guarantees results, uses words you cannot understand, or tells you to stop medical treatment.
Can olive oil ruqyah replace seeing a doctor?
No. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Make use of medical treatment" (Sunan Abi Dawud 3855). Ruqyah and medical care sit side by side. If you have symptoms, see a GP or qualified clinician, and never stop prescribed medication without speaking to them.
Is olive oil a medicine?
No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.
Final Thoughts
Olive oil ruqyah rests on two authentic foundations: the Sunnah of reciting the Qur'an for protection and healing, and the Prophet's ﷺ instruction to eat olive oil and anoint with it because it comes from a blessed tree. Scholars brought the two together and permitted reciting over oil, on the condition that the recitation is pure and the trust is in Allah, not in the bottle.
Everything beyond that deserves care: narrations without a reference, sellers who promise outcomes, and anyone who sets ruqyah against medicine. The practice works best as the Sunnah describes it: simple, sincere, done for yourself and your family, alongside prayer and alongside proper medical care.
If you would like a genuine olive oil for your kitchen and your home, our single-estate Marrakech extra virgin olive oil is a limited single-harvest batch, available to pre-order, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Our extra virgin olive oil is grown organically on our own single-estate farm on the plains outside Marrakech: we control every step from tree to bottle, and no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers are used. It is not yet certified organic — certification is in progress, and we will publish it as soon as it comes through.
Disclaimer: This article describes olive oil ruqyah as it is practised and attributes it to published scholarly sources at the time of writing; readers should consult a scholar they trust on matters of religious practice. Qur'an quotations are from the Sahih International translation; hadith translations and gradings are those published on sunnah.com. Sidr & Stone makes no claim that olive oil, recited over or otherwise, cures sihr, the evil eye, jinn-related harm or any physical or mental illness. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any health concern, consult a qualified medical professional.