Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … The meanings of "qabbaha" are to make ugly, to make bad, to distance from goodness, to censure, and to declare something bad; all these meanings converge to the same concept.

This hadith is a clear proof of the respect for humanity. Every person of sound nature acknowledges that, in the stages of upbringing, sometimes the stage of punishment becomes unavoidable. The Islamic Shari‘ah not only maintained this principle but also protected the dignity of humanity from being violated.

Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah said: Imam Nawawi rahimahullah states: The scholars are of the opinion that the face is a delicate and cherished thing, it is the sum of all beauties, and it contains most of the five senses (seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing, touching). There is a risk that, due to a blow, the face may appear disfigured, ugly, and deformed. Another reason is that striking the face not only causes ugliness and defect to appear, but it becomes extremely apparent. For these reasons, the Islamic Shari‘ah has prohibited striking the face. (Fath al-Bari: 5/229)

Hafiz Ibn Hajar, in another place, while mentioning the benefits of this blessed hadith, writes: Allah Ta‘ala created Adam alayhis salam in his form. This means that the form in which he was created remained the same in Paradise, after descending from Paradise, and even until his death. Or it means that Allah Ta‘ala granted Adam alayhis salam a complete existence from the very beginning of creation, whereas his progeny passes through several stages during their creation.

In this blessed hadith, there is a refutation of the deniers of the Hereafter and the materialists who believe in the eternity of time, who think that man is created from a drop of fluid, and the fluid comes from man, and that there is no beginning to this process, rather, this system of human creation has been ongoing since eternity. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam clarified in this hadith that Allah Ta‘ala Himself created the first human, Adam alayhis salam, in his form. Likewise, this hadith refutes the experts of natural sciences who believe that man is merely a product of nature and its effects. This hadith also refutes the Qadariyyah, who deny divine predestination and claim that man creates his own actions, not Allah Ta‘ala. (Fath al-Bari: 11/4)

Shaykh al-Albani rahimahullah said: In this hadith, the pronoun "hi" in "ala suratihi" refers to the word "Adam," not to the word "Allah," because it is the nearest antecedent, and in the narration of Sahih Bukhari from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu, it is clarified as follows: ((Khalaqa Allahu Adama ‘ala suratihi, tooluhu sittuna dhira‘an.)) (Sahihah: 449) … Allah Ta‘ala created Adam alayhis salam in his form, and his height was sixty cubits.

As for the issue of the hadith: ((Khalaqa Allahu Adama ‘ala surat al-Rahman.)) … Allah Ta‘ala created Adam alayhis salam in the form of the Most Merciful.

This is rejected (munkar); I have explained its details in (Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da‘ifah: 1175, 1176) and have also refuted the authentication by some contemporaries like Shaykh Tuwajiri rahimahullah. (Sahihah: 862)

In another place, he writes: This narration supports the view of those who consider the word "Adam" as the antecedent of the pronoun "hi." The meaning of this hadith is: Allah Ta‘ala created Adam alayhis salam in the form in which He intended, i.e., he did not have to pass through various stages of creation like his progeny, nor did he have to go through the stages in the womb of being a drop (nutfah), then a clot (‘alaqah), then a lump (mudghah), then bones (‘idham), then flesh (lahm), and then complete creation. Rather, as soon as Allah Ta‘ala breathed the soul into him, He made him complete, perfect, balanced, appropriate, and correct.

Imam Ibn Hibban rahimahullah has discussed this hadith in detail and beneficially; you may refer to it. (Sahihah: 449)

In summary, when punishing any human being, his face should be respected. Nevertheless, some people, when punishing their servants, and some fathers and teachers, when punishing their children and students, slap them on the face. Doing so would be in opposition to this hadith.