In Book 5, Section 34 of Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, the mystical state of spiritual annihilation (fana) is illustrated through the metaphors of stars in the daytime sky and a candle's flame in the presence of the sun. Rumi describes how 'selfless ones' shed their ego and independent existence to become secure in the eternal subsistence (baqa) of the Divine. Just as stars physically remain in the sky but their light is entirely eclipsed by the overwhelming brilliance of the sun, and just as a candle casts no shadow and its light is absorbed into a greater radiance, the individual soul is effaced within the majestic presence of God. In this state of profound selflessness, the spiritual seeker transcends the vulnerabilities of the ego and attains absolute security from harm or danger.