Will people be naked on the Day of Judgement?
Yes, an authentic hadith says people will be gathered barefoot and unclothed. But the Prophet ﷺ explained that the Day will be so overwhelming that no one will look at anyone else. It is a day of fear and concern for one's own account, not embarrassment before others.
What the hadith says
Aisha reported that the Prophet ﷺ said people would be gathered barefoot and naked. She asked, "O Allah's Messenger, will the men and the women look at each other?" He replied that the situation would be too hard for them to pay attention to that (Sahih al-Bukhari 6527). The same hadith appears in Sahih Muslim 2859.
Scholars explain that this reflects the Quran's statement that Allah will bring people back as they were first created. The Prophet ﷺ recited the verse about repeating the first creation after mentioning it (Sahih al-Bukhari 3349).
Why people will not look
The Quran describes how everyone will be consumed by their own affairs on that Day, even fleeing from their closest family:
That is the answer to the worry most people have. There will be no room for staring or embarrassment, because each person will be anxious about the reckoning. See What is the Day of Judgement in Islam?
What about the narration on clothes?
Another narration says a deceased person will be raised in the clothes in which he died (Sunan Abi Dawud 3114), and Abu Sa'id al-Khudri put on new clothes before his death because of it. Scholars have suggested several ways to reconcile the two: some say people are first gathered unclothed and later clothed, and others say "clothes" here refers to a person's deeds. The Prophet ﷺ also said that the first to be dressed on that Day will be Prophet Ibrahim (Sahih al-Bukhari 3349). Only Allah knows the details.
What should I take from this?
- Modesty remains a virtue now. Covering yourself in this life is a form of obedience, and the Day of Judgement does not cancel that.
- It is a Day to prepare for. The purpose of these hadith is to turn our attention to accountability, not to cause shame or fear of embarrassment.
- Allah is merciful. Many hadith tell of Allah's care for believers on that Day.
The same Day brings other hardships, including heat and sweat. See Will the sun come close to people on the Day of Judgement? For how bodies will be raised, see Will we have the same bodies in the afterlife?
- An authentic hadith says people will be gathered barefoot and unclothed (Sahih al-Bukhari 6527).
- The matter will be too serious for anyone to look at others.
- Everyone will have enough concern of their own (Quran 80:37).
- Scholars reconcile the clothing narration in different ways, and Allah knows best.
People also ask
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