According to Taberî, the expression 'vechehû' refers to submission and obedience to Allah with one's entire body; according to Arab custom, when the essence and substance of something is meant, 'vech' (face) is attributed to it, because the face is the most noble limb of a human being. Accordingly, the submission of the face to Allah means the submission of the entire body, and by mentioning the face, reference is made to the whole body. Moreover, being 'muhsin' means performing this submission with sincerity and in a beautiful manner.

وخص الله جل ثناؤه بالخبر عمن أخبر عنه بقوله: بإسلام وجهه له دون سائر جوارحه؛ لأن أكرم أعضاء ابن آدم وجوارحه وجهه، وهو أعظمها عليه حرمة وحقا، فإذا خضع لشيء وجهه الذي هو أكرم أجزاء جسده عليه فغيره من أجزاء جسده أحرى أن يكون أخضع له.

According to Zemahşerî, the meaning of the expression 'vechehu li'llah' with the letter 'lam' is that a person makes their own essence and soul exclusively for Allah and dedicates it to Him. If it were used with the letter 'ilâ', the meaning would be to surrender one's soul to Allah; this is likened to handing over a property to another person, meaning reliance on Allah and entrusting the matter to Allah.

معناه مع اللام : أنه جعل وجهه وهو ذاته ونفسه سالما لله ، أي خالصا له . ومعناه مع إلى : أنه سلم إليه نفسه كما يسلم المتاع إلى الرجل إذا دفع إليه . والمراد : التوكل عليه والتفويض إليه

According to Kurtubî, the word 'eslem' means to submit and yield, and according to some, it means to make one's deeds pure. The particular mention of the word vech (face) is because the face is the most noble-looking organ of a human being and is the place where the senses are located; Arabs use the word 'vech' to express the entirety of something. Furthermore, it is stated that worship performed without ihsan (excellence) and without the heart's knowledge will not be beneficial.

وخص الوجه بالذكر لكونه أشرف ما يرى من الإنسان ولأنه موضع الحواس وفيه يظهر العز والذل والعرب تخبر بالوجه عن جملة الشيء

According to Ibn Kesîr, this verse informs of two conditions of accepted deeds: first, that the deed is done with sincerity solely for Allah, and second, that it is in accordance with the Sharia brought by the Messenger of Allah (correct). If one of these two conditions is lacking, the deed becomes invalid; if sincerity is lacking, the person is considered a hypocrite; if following the Sharia is lacking, they are considered ignorant and misguided. The deeds of priests and similar people, even if sincere, are not accepted because they do not conform to the Sharia.

فإن للعمل المتقبل شرطين أحدهما أن يكون خالصا لله وحده والآخر أن يكون صوابا موافقا للشريعة فمتى كان خالصا ولم يكن صوابا لم يتقبل

According to Beydâvî, the verse refutes the claims of Jews and Christians that paradise is exclusively for them and states that this is merely an unfounded wish. The criterion for salvation is not belonging to a specific religion, but sincerely submitting oneself to Allah and performing good deeds (possessing ihsan). For such people, reward is certain in the sight of Allah; there is neither fear in this world nor sorrow in the hereafter.

بلى إثبات لما نفوه من دخول غيرهم الجنة من أسلم وجهه لله أخلص له نفسه، أو قصده، وأصله العضو وهو محسن في عمله فله أجره الذي وعد له على عمله عند ربه ثابتا عن ربه لا يضيع ولا ينقص

According to this exegete, the expression 'submitting one's face to Allah' means that a person surrenders their essence/soul to obedience to Allah; here 'vech' is mentioned specifically for reasons such as the face being the most noble among organs and sometimes being used to mean soul. Furthermore, it is stated that this submission must be accompanied by a good deed, because some peoples (such as Hindus) submit to Allah with ugly deeds.

فهو إسلام النفس لطاعة الله ، وإنما خص الوجه بالذكر لوجوه