[3:110] You are the best community brought forth to men, enjoining decency, and forbidding indecency, and believing in God.
Because Muṣtafa (ṣ) is the most honored of the prophets, his community is the best of communities. Because they are the best of communities, they are the most honored of communities. Because they are the most honored of communities, they are the most desiring (ashwāq) of communities. Because they are the most desiring of communities, their lives are the shortest of lives. He created them as the last of created beings so that their sojourn on the earth would not be long. Their goodness has been obtained not by the abundance of their prayers and devotional acts, but by the increase in His drawing them near and selecting them. Surely the standing of the earlier ones at the door has been long, but when the permission comes to enter, the later ones will go first.
How many reach out
to connect to us
[yet] their palms receive
no share.
Enjoining decency, and forbidding indecency: Decency is service to the Real and indecency is keeping company with the lower self (nafs). Decency is to prefer what is due to the Real (ḥaqq al-ḥaqq) and indecency is to choose the worldly portion of the lower self. Decency is what brings you close to Him and indecency is what veils you from Him. What is binding in the command to decency is that you be characterized by decency and what is required in forbidding indecency is to be adverse to indecency.
[3:110 cont'd] Had the people of the Scripture believed, it would have been better for them; some of them are believers; but most of them are wicked.
If all had been included under Our command, they would have attained true glory in this world and the Hereafter, but they were kept away from acceptance in the choice already made, so most of them became marked by polytheism (shirk).