There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond us all, beyond the heavens, beyond the highest, the very highest heavens. This is the light that shines in our hearts.
~ Chandogya
Spiritual hunger is a living, radiant fire put by God into hearts so that the ego can be burned; when it has been burned, this fire becomes the fire of longing, which never dies, either in this world or the next. There is no quicker way to God than spiritual hunger; if it travels through solid rock, water gushes forth. Spiritual hunger is essential for the Sufis; it is the showering of God's mercy on them.