Surah An-Nisa (The Women — النساء) (Ayah 69)

By pursuing a course of selfishness and opportunism in life, the individual incurs the greatest loss, i.e. he fails to find the straight path (as explicitly laid down in the Book of God and sayings of the Prophet) which could have led him to his Lord. One who does not think objectively, who is opportunistic in his thinking, will fail to find that straight path, no matter how clearly it may have been shown to him. This results from his viewing religion, not from a correct perspective, but from the standpoint of his own desires and convenience, so that an image of religion moulded by his own perceptions is formed in his mind. Though a claimant of faith, he remains deprived of it. How could such a person be eligible for Paradise, which is to be inhabited only by those who have embraced the Faith, rising above all considerations of self-interest and expediency, who have stood by the covenant of God, being witnesses for the truth to the ultimate extent, and having lead totally pious lives?