Mantic uttaïr, The Master and the Student

A disciple asked his master, “Why was Adam obliged to leave Paradise?” The master replied, “When Adam, the noblest of creatures, entered Paradise, he heard a resounding voice from the invisible world, which said to him: ‘O Thou whom a hundred bonds attach to the earthly paradise! Know that whosoever in the two worlds occupies himself with aught other than Me, I deprive of all that exists visibly, so that he may attach himself to none but Me, his true Friend. What is one soul worth in exchange for thousands of souls? Yet what use would it be if it did not attach itself to the Being most worthy of love? He who has lived for aught other than Him, even were he Adam himself, has been cast out. The inhabitants of Paradise know that the first thing they must give is their heart; but if they are not people of Paradise, they will shrink from the sacrifice of their heart.’”