Is looking at a woman's face forbidden (haram)? And is that considered a form of zina (adultery/fornication) and a debt that a person does not die until they have encountered it?

Looking at the face of a non-mahram woman is forbidden, even if it is without lust, unless there is a need that permits looking. Adultery is a debt that may be repaid in this world, or Allah may forgive it by His grace. Lesser acts than adultery, such as looking and touching, carry the same ruling. Ismail Haqqi narrated a story about a water carrier who touched a woman's hand, and Allah decreed that her husband would do the same act. Then, both of them repented, and the wife explained that Allah had retaliated against the husband in this world.