Thou hast asked about the pearls treasured in the Hidden
Words where, addressing the abject and the foolish, Bahá'u'lláh hath
admonished: "Abandon not for that which perisheth an everlasting
dominion". [Persian Hidden Words, no. 37]
This is when man depriveth himself of the manifold favours of God, is debarred
from the goodly gifts of the All-Merciful, is bereft of His infinite bounty and
gracious rewards by following the prompting of his selfish desires, by seeking
earthly pleasures and by indulging in corrupt imaginations. Hence "that
which perisheth" is an allusion to every kind of corrupt inclination and
evil deed. God indeed is the source of clear tokens! ('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet; compilation
‘Hidden Words: References of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi’, prepared by the
Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
