THE MEANING OF SUBMITTING ONE’S FACE TO ALLAH

These last two concepts: the surrendering of one’s face to Allah, and the doing of good are the same two requirements for the acceptance of ones actions which were discussed earlier i.e. that the action be done in complete sincerity for the sake of Allah, and that it be correct, in accordance with the sunnah and the shari’a. This is because surrendering of one’s face to Allah entails a will and an intention for the sake of Allah, as one poem says:

“Seek Allah’s forgiveness for sins which you cannot even count.

Lord of (His) slaves, unto Him is (one’s) face and (one’s) action.”

Four different words have been used here: submission of one’s face, making straight or correct of one’s face, and directing (literally: “facing”) of one’s face (i.e. to Allah), as in Allah’s statements:

[And make your faces straight at every place of prostration] Qur’an 7/29

[And straighten your face to the way as a pure monotheist; the natural way on which Allah has made mankind.] Qur’an 30/30

And as Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is quoted as saying:

[Indeed, I have directed my face to the one who originated the heavens and the earth as a pure monotheist, and I am not among the associationists.] Qur’an 6/79

The Prophet (sas) used to say the same thing in the opening du’a (invocation) of his night prayer:

“I direct my face to the one who originated the heavens and the earth as a pure monotheist, and I am not among the associationists.”

In the sahih hadith, Al-Baraa’ ibn ‘aazib narrated:

“The Prophet (sas) taught me to say when going to bed: “O, Allah, I have surrendered myself to You, and directed my face toward you….”

The word for “face” in Arabic, wajh, can mean that which (who) directs itself (Al-Mutawajjih), and it can mean that which is directed toward or in the direction of (Al-Mutawajjah Ilaihi, or Al-Mutawajjah Nahwahu). As it is said: Which direction (wajh, literally: “face”) do you want? i.e. which direction or side do you seek or intend to go? This is because these two concepts must go together, and are compliments. Wherever a person faces, his face also faces, and his face is a prerequisite of his “facing” something. This is the case both in internal and in external actions, and this makes four things (i.e. that which is directed and that which directs, each one internal and external). The internal is the origin, and the external is the completion, and the symbol. Thus, when one directs his heart toward something, his external “face” follows suit.

When the slave of Allah has as his intention and his desired goal to direct himself toward Allah, this is the righteousness of his will and his intention. If, at the same time, he is a doer of good, he has achieved the two traits: that his actions are righteousness, and he does not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone. (See Qur’an 18/110) This, again, is the meaning of the invocation of Umar, who used to say:

“O Allah, make all of my actions righteous, and make all of them purely for your Face, and do not make therein any share for anyone else.”