Tuna salad, tuna sandwich, tuna on pizza, tuna pasta, tuna pâté… The meat of this fish is popular all over the world, and it is on many people’s menus almost every day.
Tuna is one of the healthiest fish you should add to your daily diet.
This food is an excellent source of high-quality protein that is also low in fat.
But does the Islamic faith allows it?
Is Tuna Halal or Haram in Islam?
This is a question that bothers some members of the Muslim community because certain believers believe that tuna is Haram because it is a fish that is a predator.
However, if we look back at the holy book Quran in which it is written that it is permissible to eat everything from the Sea, then we conclude that Tuna is also Halal because it belongs to the Sea World.
This is indeed a predator and feeds on smaller fish, but the rule in the Sea World is that larger fish always eat smaller ones, so Tuna is not an isolated case either.
The problem with tuna arises only and exclusively during its preparation and in which oil it will be prepared, but tuna itself as a fish is Halal and can be eaten without thinking about the consequences.
Muslims are very careful that they follow their diet and that it is 100% Halal and that the preparation of the food itself also follows that custom.
Given that tuna is eaten like all other fish, we see no reason why its diet would affect whether it is Haram or Halal.
Tuna is a large fish that is caught from larger boats and ships and is difficult to catch.
It is a very valuable fish on the market and its meat, with adequate preparation, can be extremely tasty.
The most common consumption of this fish is canned, which can be bought in almost all markets, and the only thing you need to pay attention to is the oil in the can and what ingredients they have and whether they are Haram or not. Tuna itself as tuna is Halal.
If in the holy book of the Quran, it is written that it is permissible to eat fish from the Sea and Ocean, rivers, and lakes, we do not see why Tuna itself would be an exception, especially because it is a fish.
In Islam, it is known that the way of eating is very important and that it must be Halal and be healthy, to live as long as possible in this world, we must eat healthy.
Sea fish is extremely healthy to eat and the prophet Muhammad himself said that all animals and plants that grow in the sea can be eaten and that they are halal.
This way of eating also means that fishing is very common among members of the Muslim faith.
So, if it is already written in the holy book, the Quran, that it is permissible to eat all fish from the seas, oceans, rivers, and lakes, the question arises, why do Muslim members need confirmation as to whether this fish is Halal or Haram?
The answer is very simple and that is because certain scholars believe that it should not be eaten. After all, it feeds on other fish and that makes it a predator.
Now if we are going to put things in their place, then we will say that we conclude that the tuna is fed with a smaller fish and that this fish is also not Haram but Halal.
Tuna cannot find pork at the bottom of the ocean, and even if it finds it, it is not a scavenger, that is. it does not feed on waste and remains of other fish but catches only fresh fish.
So this should not be something that will worry you and let us confirm once again, tuna is Halal and can be eaten, but it must be prepared in a proper way that is not Haram, i.e. which will not make it Haram.
As in every religion, here too we will encounter differences in opinion because certain groups of believers will always have their interpretations, which will differ from those that are written.
Is canned tuna haram?
The most common way of tuna consumption is because of its accessibility, and price (fresh tuna is very expensive, and it could not be found easily all over the world, in all parts, and even when you buy it, you can never be sure it is fresh, unless you live by the sea, for example.)
But, the question here is – is this fish suitable for consumption by people of the Islamic faith, when it is in a can?
We know that, as far as its nutritive values go, it cannot come closer to the fresh kind, but it is cheaper, and it has a reasonably nice taste.
For Muslims, canned tuna is seen as halal, when its composition does not have any phosphate, and when all other ingredients are halal.
Tuna that is found in a can, is therefore seen as halal.
It is important that the fish, and in this case, it is tuna, must be taken out alive from the water, whatever kind of water that may be.
The fish may be dead while it is outside, and not in the water, or else, then it is seen as haram.
And then, the matter of phosphate -the usage of it is not allowed.
This is relevant since it is used often when a certain type of fish is canned, like in this case, we are talking about tuna.
It is worth saying that additives are necessary for industrially produced foods, including canned fish, like tuna.
They are utilized to optimize and stabilize products, with the purpose of customer fulfillment.
Surprisingly, traditionally used additives such as phosphates and proteins are still mostly used in the meat and sausage industry, and some parts when it comes to fish, including tuna.
Phosphates have a special effect on muscle proteins, so depending on the meat content, the amount of it is enhanced.
If this ability is exhausted, the muscle proteins will no longer bind the added water, particularly after their denaturation, which will result in the break of jelly in the food item, and it will look truly unappetizing and gross.
From the above, it can be concluded that the amount of added phosphates will be automatically limited by the melting of the entire muscle protein.
It is not allowed to be used according to Muslim law, and therefore, if it is on the ingredients list, you must not buy it.
More about Tuna
This is one of the best fishes.
It relieves the manifestation of depression, boosts the immune system, shields the heart, enhances brain health, and reduces joint pain.
Seafood, especially tuna, is the only natural source of DHA and EPA, special types of omega-3 fatty acids that enhance heart and brain health.
A diet rich in tuna reduces the risk of cardiovascular disorders.
Omega-3 fatty acids also support lower blood clots and control heart attacks and strokes.
Tuna controls inflammation and the appearance of blood clots due to cholesterol.
But, regardless of your diet, there are some things that you must know when it comes to the incorporation of this delicious fish into your daily routine.
You should not eat it too much, especially when we speak of canned tuna, as it is completely different than the fresh one.
Why can excessive consumption of tuna be harmful even when it is too much?
Tuna is a large carnivore.
This means that it ate a lot of smaller fish that were eaten by even smaller animals.
It burdens the body with heavy metals, especially mercury, which is mostly retained in the tissue.
So, all pregnant women, nursing mothers, young children, and women who intend to become pregnant should avoid eating canned tuna.
They need to significantly limit their consumption of tuna.
Even for other people excessive amounts of mercury and other heavy metals in the body is not advisable.
Tuna is certainly not a toxic food, but it is not recommended to consume it every day, because the body is difficult and slow to get rid of heavy metals.
Therefore, tuna is one healthy food that should not be eaten too often, which means that tuna as part of a varied diet is not difficult.
Some other fish, for the same explanations as tuna, contain large amounts of mercury and other heavy metals: sharks, and swordfish.
Conclusion
So when something is not clear to us, we should always rely on the records and rules that have been left for us to follow and that way we will not make a mistake.
Therefore, if something is not clear to a Christian, he can always rely on the Bible, and also if a member of the Muslim religion does not understand something, he can always rely on the Quran and read what is allowed and what is not.
Some believers are inclined to go to extremes and that is not a good thing, because it is not according to the rules and is not good for the human spirit and the faith to which it belongs.
It is true that things change over time and that we consider some customs that we had before to be outdated and conservative, but they are original customs.
As civilization progresses, some new rules and customs will be adopted following the times in which we live.
What would happen if all the seas, for example, dried up?
Then the food with which a member of the Muslim faith is fed will be reduced to a very small selection and the people will starve.
Only in such situations can the law that has been respected for centuries be changed, and as long as we have these seas and oceans, we need to use their resources in moderation and specifically that Tuna should be eaten and that it can be eaten precisely because it is written that way in the holy book, the Quran.
The customs of the Muslim community are strict and every man who serves Allah must respect them at all costs.
With Christians, it is a different story and it is up to the individual himself whether or not he wants to respect all the customs that his church and religion find for him.
While it is completely different with Muslims, they do not have the possibility of free choice and will and must live according to the rules that are written down, they must respect them, which also means that they must eat as prescribed and it must be like this and no other way.
Tuna is a type of fish that is threatened with extinction due to overfishing, especially yellowtail tuna.
The price at which it is sold on the market depends on the type of tuna itself and its size and weight.
So, tuna is allowed to be consumed, the best way is to eat it fresh as then you will not be in a position to eat tuna in a can, which can have phosphate, that is haram according to Islamic law.
And the other thing that you must follow is the way of catching that tuna, was it dead or alive when it s pulled out from the water since it was an idea already it is considered to be haram.
Read also: Is Salmon Halal? / Is Caviar Halal?
