This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Hafiz Mubashir Hussain Lahori's book Signs of the Day of Judgment in the Light of Authentic Hadith.
Sign of the Day of Judgment: Adultery will become common
عن أنس بن مالك رضى الله عنه قال لا أحدثكم حديثا سمعته من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لا يحدثكم به أحد غيري ، سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : إن من أشراط الساعة أن يرفع العلم ويكثر الجهل ويكثر الزنا ويكثر شرب الخمر ويقل الرجال ويكثر النساء
Hazrat Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said that I will narrate to you a hadith which I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and no one else will narrate this hadith to you except me. I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Among the signs of the Day of Judgment is that knowledge will be taken away, ignorance will increase, adultery will become widespread, alcohol will be consumed abundantly, men will decrease in number and women will increase."
Reference: Bukhari: Book of Marriage: Chapter on Men Decreasing and Women Increasing (5231) Muslim (2671) Ahmad (222/3 - 225) Abdul Razzaq (381/11)
عن أبى هريرة رضى الله عنه عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : والذي نفسي بيده لا تفنى هذه الأمة حتى يقوم الرجل إلى المرأة فيفترشها فى الطريق فيكون خيارهم يومئذ من يقول : لو واريتها وراء هذا الحائط
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose hand is my soul, this Ummah will not come to an end until a man commits adultery openly with a woman in the marketplace, and at that time the best man will be the one who says: 'I wish you had taken her behind a wall.'"
Reference: Majma' al-Zawa'id (331/7) and authenticated
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Aamir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There will be some people born in my Ummah who will make adultery permissible."
Reference: Bukhari (5590)
Benefits:
(1) The widespread occurrence of adultery is a sign of the Day of Judgment.
(2) In the present era, adultery is spreading like wildfire throughout the Muslim world, burning the faith of Muslims to ashes.
(3) Adultery is a major sin, and the Shariah prescribes the following punishments: if the adulterer is unmarried, he should be given one hundred lashes and exiled for one year; if married, he should be stoned to death (rajm).
Reference: For details, see Surah An-Nur and the blessed hadiths
(4) Individually, Muslim men and women should protect themselves from major sins like adultery. Collectively, it is the responsibility of the government and those in authority to eradicate all means, places, and resources of adultery, enforce its punishments, and promote Islamic civilization and culture. However, alas! All means of preventing adultery individually and collectively are missing (except by the mercy of my Lord!). The general public is deeply trapped in this sin, and the ruling class spends nights in the company of prostitutes and dancers. (Except what Allah wills)
(5) This prediction is certain to occur, but we should, to the best of our ability, strive and be cautious to remain far removed from the list of adulterers. (Ameen)
Some Suggestions to Prevent Adultery
(1) The complete revival and implementation of the true Islamic civilization and culture should be carried out.
(2) Western civilization and culture should be completely boycotted.
(3) The ruling class should enforce Islamic ethics by force.
(4) The public should fully cooperate with the government in this good cause.
(5) Adulterers should be publicly given Shariah punishments.
(6) All means of adultery should be blocked, for example, banning mixed gatherings, strictness in observing hijab, immediate arranged marriages for adults, elimination of dens of immorality, marriage and employment facilities for repentant criminals, separate hospitals and educational and commercial institutions for women, and a complete Islamic way of life.
