The meaning of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "And fornication will become widespread."

The Shaykh : Likewise, among the signs of the Hour is that fornication will become widespread, may Allah protect us from it. Fornication is the act of committing lewdness in the front or the back; if it is with a woman, it is fornication, and if it is with a man, it is sodomy. The prevalence of fornication means that it becomes common, may Allah protect us from it, until it becomes a customary thing or something considered permissible that people do not care about. Let it be known that the spread of fornication has causes, among which are the trials that come from some women, such as a woman going out in a state of tabarruj (display of adornment), wearing perfume, wearing jewelry, and acting coquettishly, thereby tempting men and causing evil and corruption. Also among these causes is reading some of the vile newspapers that publish tempting images—tempting in their clothing, tempting in their attire, and tempting in their dress and appearance. For this reason, it is obligatory for us to completely boycott these newspapers, because their presence in the hands of our families, sons, and daughters is a cause of evil and corruption. It is obligatory for us to boycott these newspapers because they are evil and a calamity, and they are among the causes of the prevalence of fornication, may Allah protect us from it. Also among the causes of the prevalence of fornication is the free mixing of men and women, whether in markets or in houses of learning such as schools and others. This is among the causes of the prevalence of fornication, may Allah protect us from it, because when men and women mix and come close to each other, evil occurs. Look at the perfect wisdom in the Islamic Shari'ah, where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indicated the distance of women from men by saying regarding the rows of women: Why? Because the last row is farther from the men than the first row, and the farther the woman is from the man, the better it is for everyone.