Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:111

"And the faces shall humble themselves (عنت) before the Ever-Living, the Sustainer," meaning they shall become humiliated and submit with the submission of the ‘unat (عناة), who are the captives.

The term "faces" refers either to the entire selves or to the well-known body parts. They are specifically mentioned because they are the most noble of the manifest parts, and the traces of humiliation appear upon them first. The definite article "al-" (in al-wujuh) is either for reference to a previously known group or as a substitute for the possessive pronoun; that is, "the faces of the criminals." Thus, the verse would be analogous to His saying: "The faces of those who disbelieved will be distressed." Al-Zamakhshari chose this interpretation and considered the phrase "and he who carries injustice will have failed" to be a parenthetical clause, replacing the pronoun with the relative noun "he who" for greater emphasis.

It is also said that "the faces" refers to the dignitaries—that is, the great ones among the disbelievers—because the context is one of awe, and the attachment of humiliation to them is more appropriate. In this view, "injustice" (al-zulm) refers to polytheism (shirk), and the sentence "and he who carries..." is a state (hal), with the "waw" serving as a connector. It is not parenthetical, because it stands in contrast to the phrase "and he is a believer" that follows later. The author of al-Kashf stated: "The apparent meaning lies with Al-Zamakhshari, and the conceptual contrast is sufficient, for a parenthetical clause does not fall short of a state."

You know that interpreting "injustice" as polytheism is not exclusive to interpreting "the faces" as dignitaries, nor to making the sentence a state; it is also possible under the first interpretation, based on the understanding that "the criminals" refers to the disbelievers.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said regarding the verse, "and he who carries [injustice] will have failed": "He who associates partners with Allah, the Exalted, and does not repent, has suffered a loss." Many others have said that the apparent meaning is that "al-" signifies totality (istighraq), meaning all faces shall humble themselves and submit.

The statement "and he who carries [injustice] will have failed" may be an independent sentence (isti'naf) or a state (hal). The relative pronoun "he who" refers either specifically to the polytheists or generally to them and others among the sinners. The failure of every bearer [of injustice] is in proportion to the injustice he carried. Thus, the failure of the polytheist is eternal, while the failure of the sinful believer is restricted to the time of punishment, should he be punished. The meaning of "The Ever-Living, the Sustainer" has already been presented to you in the Verse of the Throne (Ayat al-Kursi).