What is the ruling on saying: “O Face of Allah, O Mercy of Allah,” and the like?

Question:
There are phrases circulating among people, namely: “O Face of Allah,” “O Exaltation of Allah,” and “O Aid of Allah.” Is there anything wrong with them? Is there anything wrong with supplicating to an attribute? And is one who falls into shirk (associating partners with Allah) without intending it held accountable for it, given that many people fall into it unintentionally? So please clarify, may Allah grant you success.

Answer:
Abu al-Abbas Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that it is not permissible to supplicate to an attribute, and he cited the consensus on this, but it is not kufr (disbelief); because their intention is Allah: “Face of Allah” means: O Allah. Their intention is: O Exaltation of Allah, O Aid of Allah, and O Mercy of Allah; their intention is Allah, but they expressed it poorly. So it is obligatory to say: O Allah, O Lord of the Throne, O our Lord, O our Master, O the Mighty, O the Wise, and the like. One should not supplicate to an attribute: O Mercy of Allah, nor: O Knowledge of Allah, nor: O Speech of Allah, nor: O Exaltation of Allah, nor: O Aid of Allah. This is not permissible. But one should supplicate to Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) by saying: O Allah, O Lord of the worlds, O my God, O my Lord, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor, O the Mighty, O the Wise, O the Compassionate, O the Capable, O the Hearing, O the Seeing, like the other attributes. This is what is obligatory. But with this, “O Mercy of Allah” and “O Aid of Allah” are not [permissible]; because his intention is to supplicate to Allah, but he expressed it poorly in supplicating to the attribute, and his intention is nothing but to supplicate to Allah.
And the attributes are used as a means of seeking nearness (tawassul) to Allah, they are not supplicated to, but one seeks nearness to Allah through them, saying: “O Allah, I ask You by Your mercy, I ask You by Your might, I ask You by Your generosity and Your nobility, I ask You by Your excellence, I ask You by the perfection of Your power, to forgive me, to have mercy on me.” One seeks nearness to Allah by His attributes and His names: [Al-A'raf: 180]. For this reason, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to seek nearness to Allah by His names and attributes (Exalted and Majestic is He) in his supplications.