Peace, one and all…
In his book, Self and Salvation, David Ford speaks eloquently, and at some length, on the related allegories of the ‘face’ and of ‘facing’. He argues, very persuasively, that these two concepts have much to say about human understandings of the self and all that is other-than-self. He speaks of the challenges inherent in ‘facing’ life and in ‘facing’ others, and of the relationship intrinsic to how we face the world. (I recently posted excerpts from this work)
The word for face in Arabic is wajh. In his Dictionary and Glossary of the Koran (originally published in 1873), John Penrice defines wajaha as follows:
‘A face, countenance, favour, honour, sake … essence, being, substance’ (p.157)
A derivative of this root means ‘to turn, direct…’ (p.157). That is, this term is used to refer to the physical face. It is also used to refer to the essence of something, as well as an orientation towards it. In other words, it is used in very similar ways to those suggested in Ford’s metaphorical usage.
The Quran says:
‘To Allah belong the east and the West: Whithersoever ye turn, there is the presence [literally 'face'] of Allah. For Allah is all-Pervading, all-Knowing’ (2:115, trans. Yusuf Ali)
When read with Ford’s useful allegory in mind, this suggests (at least to me) that wherever I may turn I am brought into contact with another aspect of the Divine mystery. When I face the beauty contained within nature, I am reminded of God’s creative power. When I face a difficult situation, I come ‘face to face’ with my own limitations and thus with God’s educative mercy. When ‘facing’ other human beings, I am reminded of their sovereign autonomy (under God’s protective hand), of their inherent freedom to decide their own ways and meanings.
In other words, to be brought into a relationship with another human being is an honour in and of itself – even where this interaction is short, even where it is ultimately unhelpful, or even where it proves distressing. On a deeper level, to ‘face’ another human being is to practice the art of relationship, or what might be called the ’science of facing’. And, because ‘facing’ is an act of orientation towards what is other, to learn about human beings is thus to learn about God.
Another facet emerges when I reflect on this metaphor. ‘Facing’ my self, my particular individuality, draws me into direct relationship with my own mortality – my inevitable re-absorbtion into the whole of life. To face my own individuality is thus to face my own connectedness, the fact that this ‘I’ is merely a temporary condition, a momentary realignment of spirit and flesh. In other words, to consider the self, through the metaphor of the ‘face’, is actually to encounter the other and how it should be approached with honour and love. It is also to realise that ’self’ and ‘other’ are merely labels – they describe our experience of the world, but they do not capture the totality of its meaning. Beneath the last layer of ‘me’ lies the ‘other’ – and beyond all such labels stands the reality of God, the Source and Sustainer of All.
Praise be to God for this face of mine and for this wonderful life of ‘facing’ the other. But, most of all, may God’s face be praised, and may I ‘face’ Hu with honour in all the quiet spaces of my soul.
And God knows best.
Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman
