Sharif AlMurteda's AlAmali, part 3 page 46:
For citing exegeses of God's saying, (Everything is perishable Except His [face]), (We only feed you for Allah's [face]), (There will only endure the [face] of your lord), and the other Verses in which 'face' is mentioned, we provide the following:
In Arabic, the word 'face' stands for variant meanings:
Face is that physical appearance of every animal.
Face is the headmost of everything. God says, (And a party of the followers of the Book say: Avow belief in that which has been revealed to those who believe in the [face] first part of the day. 3:72)
Face is the intention of a deed. God says, (And who has a better religion than he who submit [his face] himself to Allah. 4:125), and says, (Then set your face upright to the religion. 10:105).
Face is the solution.
Face is the direction and the side.
Face is the standing and reputation.
Face is the chief of people.
Face is the self and the person. God says, (Some faces on that day shall be bright. Looking to their Lord. And other faces on that day shall be gloomy. Knowing that there will be made to befall them some great calamity). God also says, (Other faces on that day shall be happy. Wellpleased because of their striving. 8:88). It is inappropriate to attach brightness, gloominess, knowledge,
happiness and pleasingness to faces actually. These adjectives were added extraneously to faces. They are actually added to the sentence as a whole. Consequently, 'His face' mentioned in God's saying, (Everything is perishable except His face), stands for His Person. The same thing is said about the word in God's saying, (And there will endure for ever the [face] of your Lord, Lord of glory and honor). As long as 'face' is intended to express the Lord's Person, the attachment of (the Lord of glory and honor) is, syntactically, ascribed to 'face', not 'Lord', while in God's saying, (Blessed be the name of your Lord, the Lord of glory and honor. 55:78), the attachment of (the Lord of glory and honor) is, syntactically, ascribed to 'Lord', not 'name' since the two are of different references. *
There is another probable exegesis for the Verse involved. This exegesis is related to some earlier scholars. It is that 'face' stands for deeds intended and offered to Allah, the Exalted, exclusively. On this account, meaning of the Verse should be 'Regard not any associate to Allah, and call not upon any god other than Him. Every act intended and offered to other than Him is perishable and void.'
How is it acceptable for corporalists to rest upon the extrinsic meaning of this Verse and its likes? This will certainly be leading to Allah's full termination excepting His face. This faith is showing atheism and naiveté of its bearer. God's sayings, (We only feed you for Allah's [face]), (The [face] of His Highest Lord. 92:20) and (who desire the [face] of Allah), are interpreted that these deeds are done for the sake of Allah, intending His rewards, contiguity and standing. God's saying, (thither is Allah's [face]), is probably intending Allah's Person on meanings of awareness and knowledgeability, not on incarnate meaning. It is also probable that 'face' stands for God's satisfaction, reward and contiguity. Furthermore, it is probable that 'face' implies localities. Hence, the attachment shall be referring to God's royalty, creation, origination and making. The first attachment is Allah's saying, (Allah's is the east and the west, Whither you turn, thither is Allah's [face]), refers to the fact that the entire directions are totally controlled and possessed by Allah, the Exalted. Thanks to God, this is clear and evident.
Margin of BiharulAnwar, part 4 page 6:
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* Pursuant to Arabic syntax,'Thu' in the earlier Verse should be 'Thi' if it is attached to 'Lord', while in the letter, it is 'Thi' since it is attached to 'Lord'. Depending on this syntactic evidence, Al-Murteda intends to say that 'face' and 'Lord', mentioned in the earlier Verse are two different words of the same reference, while 'name' and 'Lord', mentioned in the letter, are two words or two different references.
There is a metaphorical expression in God's saying, (Everything is perishable except His face). 'Face' expresses person and self. The same thing is said about God's saying, (And there will endure the [face] of your Lord). Syntactically, the subjunctive case used in the current Quranic text, is a clear evidence on opting for 'person' as the interpretation of 'face'. The prepositional case would be used if the extrinsic material meaning of the Verse was intended…
Another exegesis is cited. Some interpret 'face' into 'virtuous deeds intended for the sake of Allah, and for seeking His contiguity and favors. Hence, the Lord informs us that everything shall be terminated saving His religion which is the only way to Him, and the only way by which His favors and satisfaction are obtained.
Concisely, Sharif AlMurteda agrees with the Sunni noncorporalists on the exegesis that 'face' stands for the person. He also cites that the word intended should probably stand for the virtuous deeds intended to Allah exclusively.
Various narratives regarding dedicating signification of 'face' mentioned in the Verse involved, as well as looking at the Lord's face in the Hereafter, to the prophets and their disciples (peace be upon them all), since they are bearers of the Lord's divine knowledge and doctrines. Thus, they are indeed the face from whom Allah is proceeded.
AtTebirsi's Alihtijaj, part 2 page 190:
… "O son of the Prophet! What is the purport of the hadith, (The reward of 'There is no god but Allah' is viewing at Allah's face.)?", I asked Imam ArRida. "O AbusSelt! He is apostatizing, that whoever ascribes a material face to Allah.", answered Imam ArRida, and went on, "Allah's face is His prophets, apostles and disciples (peace be upon them), by whom God, His religion and knowledge is sought. Allah, the Almighty the Exalted, says, (Everyone [Everything] on it must pass away, and there will endure for ever the [face] person of your Lord, the Lord of glory and honor.) and (Everything is perishable except His [face]). Thus, viewing at Allah's prophets, apostles and disciples, in their standings, is a great reward for the believers. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) stated, 'He whoever bears malice against my household and progeny, shall never see me and I shall never see him on Resurrection Day.' He also stated, 'Among you there are persons who shall never see me again after my mundane departure.' O AbusSelt! A space cannot be attributed to Allah, the Praised the Exalted. Views and illusions cannot comprehend Him."
Imam AsSadiq's narrative, quoted from AlKuleini's AlKafi, part 1 page 143, regarding the same subject, has been forecited.
In his Book of hadith, part 8 page 174, AlBukhari records that 'face' mentioned in the Verse involved, hints at God's Person:
God's Saying, (Say: What Thing Is The Weightiest In Testimony?)
Allah, the Exalted calls 'thing' on Himself. He says, (Say: What thing is the weightiest in testimony? Say: Allah). Likewise, the Prophet (peace be upon him) called 'thing' on the Quran. It is one of the divine attributes. Allah says, (Everything is perishable except His face).
AlBukhari proposes that 'thing' mentioned in the Verse comprises Allah, the Exalted, and the expression of exclusion hints at a correlation between the whole sentence and the excluded thing. This means that 'face' stands for His Person.
A more curious matter is that AlBukhari, in his book of hadith, part 6 page 17, records a statement near to the Prophet's household's exegesis of the Verse:
'Face' included in the Verse, (Everything is perishable except His face), alludes to God's possession. Some cited deeds intended for God's sake as the exegesis of 'face' involved. Mujahid says: God's face is the argumentative news.
Probably, a manuscript error has occurred to AlBukhari's previous words. Yet, the entire versions of AlBukhari's book of hadith record the same 'argumentative news' which is very close to 'prophets and disciples' in writing. It seems that the origin is 'prophets and disciples', since this is the very exegesis pointed out by the Prophet's household.
A likelihood has been cited because AlBukhari presents Mujahid's exegesis under the title of exegesis of God's saying, (Everything is perishable except His face) which is Verse 88 of sura of Qassas, while he might intend to refer to Verse 66 of the same , since the latter comprises the word 'news' which is confused with 'prophets'. Regarding so, Mujahid would be recording a matter out of our debate.
Owing to this likelihood, we have to undertake AlBukhari's confused statement and regard that he records the exegesis of an earlier Verse under the title of a latter one.
Finally, it is acceptable to expose that the Verse concerned deals with the various generations of this earth before Resurrection Day. Hence, the meaning should be that everything shall be perishing in this world before Resurrection Day except Allah's disciples, who will endure till the last moments of this earth, when he, the Exalted, shall raise His argumentative disciple from the earth and the 'divine scream' shall be befalling. From this cause, the Verse pertains all what is perishable and what is consistent in social lives and origination of generations. This will cite a difference between perishability mentioned here and termination intended in God's saying, (Everyone [everything] on it must pass away).
The earlier narratives recorded in AlImametu WetTabsira, page 92 and AlKafi, part 1 page 143, are clear proofs of actuality of this exegesis.
AsSaduq's Kemaluddin, page 231:
Abu Hamza: Regarding God's saying, (Everything is perishable except His face), Imam Abu Ja'far stated, "Is it acceptable that everything shall be perishing, and God's face shall be the only enduring thing? Allah is more glorified than being described. The real meaning of the Verse is that everything shall be perishing except God's religion. We are the direction from whom Allah is approached. As long as Allah has a matter to do with His servants, His argumentative disciples are endured. Otherwise, God will raise us and do whatever he wills.
Personally, this is the only reasonable exegesis of the Verse. It is absolutely impossible that God's Essence is included in perishability, that it needs an exclusion to express. Depending on so, we have to dedicate created things to 'everything' mentioned in the Verse. On that account, the excluded should be God's prophets and argumentative disciples (peace be upon them).
In many other narratives; such as the previous, it is emphasized that prophets and Imams (peace be upon them) are intended in 'Allah's face' frequently recorded in the holy Quran. It is also recorded that looking at those individuals is the accurate interpretation of looking at the Lord's face mentioned in various prophetic texts.. Finally, this meaning does in no means oppose the previous meaning of the prophets and argumentative disciples' being the Lord's face.
