Taubah means “to turn”. And so it means that you have to be pushed away and turn back to your Source and then you will be pushed away again.

You may think “Why doesn’t Allah makes us so that we always do good and we never make mistake?”

To such the extent Allah says “If you did not sin and offend and get turned away then I would find another people that they would sin and ask forgiveness and I would forgive them”

So we realize that the meaning of our life is to be forgiven and to return and then to be pushed again and to return again. And so this rhythm is what tells us would have highs and lows and so the truth of The Divine will see in everywhere we look. In the thing which are highs and which are lows. And everything in creation is celebrating the tasbih to Allah. And so that means every little bug, every litlle blade of grass, they don’t have to be big and fancy. But they are celebrating Allah. And so when we join that then all of these little thing we see the truth in.

- Eric Winkel

 When you got more than what you need. The more belongs to someone else.

- Eric Winkel in Futuhat Project, insight for Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, surah 27

 I studied many-many religion. In fact in university I would typically go Thursday to Sunday with any student religious group whatever there was. So on Thursday I would go with the Hindu student. On Friday I would go where the Muslims students are. On Saturday I would go with the Jewish student for Sabbath. And on Sunday I would go to a mass with the Catholic students. So I would go everywhere. At one point I feel the need to pull everything together, to see a big picture. And so I came on to Islam as universal Islam. And universal Islam is Islam as a religion that embraces all other religion. Because if I said, I want only be Hindu then anything Christian that I love then will be gone. If I want to be a Christian, then I wouldn’t have any of the Jewish’s insight. But if I become as Muslim, I can see all of these as a guidance from the Prophet Muhammad saw. - Eric Winkel

 My mom tell a story, she said the reason she could feel so good about Islam was because even in the taxi, the taxi driver would say “What is your religion” and she said “Oh, I don’t really have a religion” He says, “Well, one day you will be a Muslim. Alhamdulillah”

And she feel so welcome because everyone can see that we’re all are on our path and then ultimately we’ll be Muslim so it’s gonna be okay. She was very inspired by that, she would see Muslim in Indonesia and Malaysia very opening. Because in the west all you hear about Islam is terrible thing and so even back in those days there was a lot of Islamophobia. So she was really amazed to see how regular people who are Muslim was being so kind and hospitable.

- Eric Winkel