Seeing oneself strike one's own face signifies, in accordance with the verse whose meaning is, "Then his wife came forward with a cry and struck her face, saying, 'An old barren woman!'" (Qur'an 51:29), being granted a son after the age of childbearing has passed. This interpretation is said to apply to both women and men. The source compares this to Zechariah (peace be upon him), to whom John was granted after hope of children had passed.