Is it obligatory to begin supplication by praising Allah?

The questioner : The splendor. When we begin supplication, you say, Shaykh, that Allah the Mighty and Majestic commanded us in supplication to begin by praising Allah. So what are these formulations?

The Shaykh : First, I do not know that Allah commanded this.

The questioner : I mean, specifically.

The Shaykh : Is it in the Noble Book? And where is it in the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace be upon him) that Allah commanded? Yes, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) commanded the one making supplication to begin with praise and glorification of Allah, then with the invocation of blessings upon His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). This is not on the basis of obligation, but on the basis of recommendation. Many hadiths have been narrated in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made supplication without preceding it with praise or the invocation of blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

The questioner : (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh : Someone might say that the one who begins with praise and the invocation of blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the one making a long, earnest supplication (du'a al-ibtilal), whereas if a person simply says, "O my Lord, forgive me," we do not require him to say "Praise be to Allah" first and then invoke blessings upon the Prophet.