Allah the Exalted said, "Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration." Does this refer to the mark that appears on the forehead?

The questioner : The questioner says: Allah the Exalted said: Does this refer to the mark that appears on the forehead?

The Shaykh : No. It means the mark of frequent prayer on the face, which is the radiance of the face. This is because prayer, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described it: The heart is illuminated by it, and when the heart is illuminated, the face is illuminated. For this reason, the most complete of people in the radiance of the face is the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), to the extent that when he was pleased, his face would become radiant, as if it were a piece of the moon (peace and blessings be upon him). This is an observed reality: when the heart is illuminated, the face is illuminated, and when the heart is grieved, the face contracts. So "their mark is on their faces" means that the light which entered their hearts manifested its signs on their faces. As for the mark on the forehead, that is not the mark, because the forehead may have thin skin, and if a person prostrates on it twice, it may be affected. Or it may have thick skin, and if he prostrates a hundred times, it may not be affected. So the result is that the mark of the one who prostrates is the radiance of the face.