Hey, everytime there is a debate about this, someone always brings up the nakes tribes and claim that they get along fine without clothing so why force people to wear hijab. What is the proper response to this?
The naked tribes do not respond to nudity like civilised people do. Being naked for them is a natural state and not related to sexual desire. Anthropologists have not noted higher promiscuity, birth rate, or more sexual activity in naked tribes than in clothed people.
However, in civilised societies the learned response to nudity is sexual desire. Not many would dispute that. Being in regions where this response is the norm, calls for protection of oneself which in Islam is through observing hijab.
So, one may ask would hijab be needed where nudity is not relative to sexual desire?
The answer is yes! But why?
The answer is in the Quran.
As Allah says, ‘....Surely he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you see them not..." (Quran-7:27)
The verse here refers to the jinn community, who inhabit the whole earth. Nakedness is appreciated by the shayateen. This is why a muslim must recite, 'Bismillah' before getting undressed.
*Anas (ra) reports from Rasulullah (SAW) that when a person undresses for the purpose of relieving himself, or bathing or having relations with his/her spouse, the shaytaan interfere and plays with his/her private parts. If he/she says 'Bismillah' before taking off the clothes, then this serves as a barrier and safety from the shayateen and jinns.*
By commanding us to clothe ourselves Allah isn't condemming nudity, but protecting us from what He knows is harmful to us. Whether that be peoples' response to nudity, the shayateens interference, or anything else, a muslim knows that Allah has ordained for us, only that is beneficial for us.
wa alaikum asalam wr wb.
