What is the interpretation of "face" in His saying, the Exalted: "Every thing will perish except His face"? Is there any metaphorical usage?

The questioner: Your honorable father, may Allah preserve you, saysThe questioner: What is the interpretation of "face" in His saying, the Exalted: ... and may Allah reward you with good?

The Shaykh: This is also one of the verses where metaphorical usage is grammatically consistent, yet there is no metaphor in it; because the intended meaning, as is the convention of the Noble Qur'an in some verses, is the Essence of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. If the matter concerned humans, we would say it is from the category of mentioning a part to mean the whole, but our Lord is not described as having parts. However, this expression is known in the Arabic language. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says: , so His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He: means the Fajr prayer, and there is no metaphor here; because this is the Qur'anic style indicated by the context, and the following in the more precise meaning; where He said at the beginning of the verse: ; meaning: establish the Qur'an, and the Qur'an intended here is only the Fajr prayer; therefore He said: . If we refer to the authentic hadiths, we will find that it means the Fajr prayer which the angels witness. So this is the clarification of the metaphor, as mentioned previously in the answer to a previous question, which is a convention of some of them, but the truth is that this is the reality.
And there is much, and very much, of this from Him of mentioning a part to mean the whole. He, the Exalted, said: . Also, the intended meaning here is , meaning: pray what is easy for you of the night prayer. This is the meaning of this verse, and it is not intended to mean: recite in the night prayer what is easy for you of the Qur'an, but rather His saying: , pray the standing of the night, a quarter of it, half of it, as came in the verses preceding this verse.
Similarly, for example, his saying, peace and blessings be upon him and his family: . The Arab does not understand that if a Muslim does not perform any of the pillars of Hajj, except that he stood at 'Arafah, and that is it, everything is finished, he did not perform the arrival tawaf, nor the sa'y, nor the tawaf of ifadah, but only stood at 'Arafah. Who understands this understanding? The non-Arab. But the Arab says: , meaning: the greatest pillar of Hajj is 'Arafah. This style is known among the Arabs. Some of them call it metaphor; there is no dispute in the terminology, but no one understands that all of Hajj is standing at 'Arafah. So the important point in the matter is that the verse: does not mean that His face remains while His Essence, Blessed and Exalted is He, does not, but rather His Essence, Blessed and Exalted is He, remains with all His attributes.
Yes.