Choose Your Friends Carefully (5:77 – 5:78)

Choose Your Friends Carefully

[5:77] Say, “O people of the scripture, do not transgress the limits of your religion beyond the truth, and do not follow the opinions of people who have gone astray, and have misled multitudes of people; they are far astray from the right path.”
[5:78] Condemned are those who disbelieved among the Children of Israel, by the tongue of David and Jesus, the son of Mary. This is because they disobeyed and transgressed.

Choose your friends carefully, because we are easily influenced by those around us and give into peer pressure; as discussed before we are the average of our 5 closest friends. Few people are willing to stand out from the crowd, they feel more comfortable to conform. Only those who have strong convictions will stand up for the truth. Everyone must think for himself or herself. Just because everyone is doing something does not make it right. Do not conform; follow what is best in the Quran.

If you are friends with someone who insults you, what should you do?

If it is for your religion then do not sit with them when they are engaging in this behavior to set a precedent that this is not acceptable behavior. If it is for non-religious reasons maybe they are being influenced by others around them and are giving in to peer pressure, maybe time to distance yourself from them and just give them a good example of moral high ground.

[6:68] If you see those who mock our revelations, you shall avoid them until they delve into another subject. If the devil causes you to forget, then, as soon as you remember, do not sit with such evil people.

Candid Camera Elevator Experiment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UauW-YARLtE