is in the place toward which one turns—that is, which one faces—involves only direction and place, not anything of Allah Most High—nevertheless, its attribution to Allah in the expression “the Face of Allah,” meaning Allah’s direction and His appointed direction of prayer, indicates that He has a Face. Thus the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stated that when a worshipper stands to pray, Allah is before him, and that he turns his face toward Allah.

The point here is that those who affirm the attribute on the basis of this text infer it through a different approach, rather than from the text’s apparent meaning. The aim is not to endorse their approach.

The fifth response is to say: Suppose that its apparent meaning, or what is inferred from it, affirms a single side for Allah. The term janb (side) is broader than either of a thing’s two sides; rather, it applies to all its sides, as when one speaks of “the sides of a thing.” The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to ‘Imrān:

“Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; and if you cannot, then lying on your side.”