Malacca - Part 1

After a cramp-inducing 5-hour bus ride, we finally reached Holiday Inn Malacca. The view (overlooking the Straits of - you gussed it! - Malacca) from our 18th floor room made the bumpy ride all worth it.

I observe all that is around Malacca, quite a rustic place, and feel a bit of the wonderment of nature. Last night, as I was reading the late Martin Lings' "Muhammad - His Life Based on the Earliest Sources", a chord struck in the corner of my heart when he explained that one of the purposes of the Qur'an, which is the Word of Allah made into Book (like how in Christianity, Jesus is God-made-flesh), was to remind Man of the wonderment of His creation in nature, the wonderment which over time has been misdirected.

More so in current times. Where I live, I see more buildings, cars, pavements, roads, media messages etc than anything else. Of course, the Clean and Green City thingamagic has worked. But the things in front of our eyes are mostly man-made, and don't necessarily bring our attention to Allah's creations. Slowly, but surely, we are brought to believe that our surroundings are man-made, and probably always have been man-made. So we are probably accountable to Man, since all the built environment is his work.

But the truth is that underneath all the roads, buildings and vehicles, lies the ultimate miracle of creation - the earth, and the sky, and the huge expanse of water in oceans and seas. And more close to ourselves, the miracle is the self itself - each of us is a sentient being, living, breathing, thinking and talking at this moment. And the Creator of these things has sent a clear message to confirm and explain these signs. What more proof of a higher existence than this does one need?

Malacca's town planning may not be Singapore-style, but it sure helps to see a lot of natural stuff. I'll hop down later to the mosque which I see built on this little islet opposite the hotel.