Thinking of making grape jam? Before you start, see what Iran’s leading jurisprudents say about boiled grapes (opinions differ).
We examine the religious ruling on consuming grape jam and the conditions under which it is halal or haram from the viewpoint of senior marājiʿ such as Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, and Grand Ayatollah Wahid Khorasani.
One question conscientious followers of religion and jurisprudence often encounter is about derivatives of grapes — for example, grape jam made by boiling the grapes: does that cause any legal problem for consumption or not? Read on with us to learn more about the ruling on grape jam. The question and the answers of the senior marājiʿ are as follows.
Question: A cooking magazine instructed for making grape jam: “Boil the grapes, then strain them, and then boil them again well with sugar until they thicken.” Does this process make the grape problematic? Does it become najis (impure)? Answers from the senior marājiʿ follow:
Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: If only a small portion of the grape evaporates, consuming it is forbidden (haram), except in the case that two-thirds of it evaporates and it becomes a syrup — then it is permissible.
Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi: Eating such grape jam is problematic (there is an objection to consuming it).
Grand Ayatollah Wahid Khorasani: If the grape or grape-juice comes to a boil as a result of cooking (i.e., by fire), it is pure (پاک) but eating it is forbidden; and if it comes to a boil otherwise than by fire, eating it is forbidden and — out of precaution — it is considered najis (impure).
“He who boils grape-juice by fire, it becomes forbidden (haram) to eat; and if it is boiled on the fire until two parts of it are reduced so one part remains, then it becomes permissible (halal). It was mentioned above that boiling by fire does not make it najis, and if it boils by means other than fire it becomes forbidden and, according to necessary caution, impure; and the strict precaution is that except by turning into vinegar it will not be pure and lawful.”
Grand Ayatollah Shabiri Zanjani: If grapes or grape-juice boil by themselves or because of cooking, eating them is forbidden and — by prudential precaution — they are considered najis. Except in the case where two-thirds of it is lost through boiling.
Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani (may God have mercy on him): If grape-juice boils by cooking or spontaneously, eating it becomes forbidden, but it is not najis. However, if after boiling it is reduced so that two-thirds of the grape-juice is evaporated and gone, then eating it becomes permissible.
