[Surah Hūd 83]

that is, the wrongdoers of this community. There are more hadiths concerning this than can be mentioned here, and most of them mention their treating these acts as lawful.

The root of the misguidance and error of those who approve of passionate love of physical forms, praise it, and encourage it—even if they stipulate chastity—is that love is the source of every movement in the world. Thus, if the soul neither moves nor possesses strength of resolve and will until it develops an intense love, then those forbidden things are the roots of evil; when they become widespread, the Hour will come.

As related in an authentic hadith, Anas said: “I shall tell you a hadith which no one after me will tell you, one I heard from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: ‘Among the signs of the Hour are that knowledge will be taken away, ignorance will become widespread, wine will be drunk, unlawful sexual intercourse will become widespread, men will become fewer, and women more numerous, until fifty women have a single man to look after them.’”