What is meant by "face" in the saying of Allah the Exalted: "And the Face of your Lord will remain, Possessor of Majesty and Honor," and His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He:

The questioner : The second question is the issue of the Face of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. The people of the Sunnah, specifically the righteous Salaf, affirm that Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, has a Face. Many scholars have also been confused in interpreting His saying, the Exalted: , and at His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He: , to the point that al-Raghib stated that the meaning of "His Face" is His limbs. Imam al-Bukhari translated the meaning of this as saying: "except His dominion." This matter has become confused for many of our brothers in these days, and we ask you, likewise, to clarify the meaning of this to us in a satisfactory manner. May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : The answer to this question, I think, branches off from the previous question regarding "His noble Face," which appeared in some hadiths concerning the supplication to see the noble Face of Allah. Here, "Face" refers to the Essence of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. It is an attribute among the attributes of Allah, but I intend by it the Essence of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. It cannot be interpreted. I am now wondering if this report is from Imam al-Bukhari, whom you mentioned as interpreting "Face" in the verse as "dominion."

The questioner : He translated it with this.

The Shaykh : This is a very strange matter, especially from Imam al-Bukhari, the Imam in hadith and in faith in the verses of attributes and the hadiths of attributes. It is impossible for anything of the created things to remain absolutely; nothing remains except Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. Such a statement should be examined regarding its authenticity, not just its narration, because this is found in the book itself. However, the book itself has several narrations, and they should be examined from this angle. If this word is established in Sahih al-Bukhari, then we must say that no one among us except the owner of this grave has refuted it and responded to it. As for the verse, there is no doubt that what is intended by it is the Essence of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. And His Face, Mighty and Majestic, is an attribute among His attributes, like the Hand and the like of what came in the Book and the Sunnah. This is all I have regarding this answer.