Our Lord
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حَسَّانَ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ كُلُّ دُعَاءٍ لَا يَكُونُ قَبْلَهُ تَحْمِيدٌ فَهُوَ أَبْتَرُ إِنَّمَا التَّحْمِيدُ ثُمَّ الثَّنَاءُ قُلْتُ مَا أَدْرِي مَا يُجْزِي مِنَ التَّحْمِيدِ وَ التَّمْجِيدِ قَالَ يَقُولُ
Ali Bin Ibrahim, from his father, from Ali Bin Hassan, from one of his companions,
(It has been narrated) from Abu Abdullah-asws having said: ‘Every supplication which does not happen to have a Praise before it, so it is cut-off. But rather, it is the Praise, then the Laudation’. I said, ‘What I don’t know is, what would suffice me from the Praise and the Glorification’. He-asws said: ‘One should be saying,
اَللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الْأَوَّلُ فَلَيْسَ قَبْلَكَ شَيْءٌ وَ أَنْتَ الْآخِرُ فَلَيْسَ بَعْدَكَ شَيْءٌ وَ أَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ فَلَيْسَ فَوْقَكَ شَيْءٌ وَ أَنْتَ الْبَاطِنُ فَلَيْسَ دُونَكَ شَيْءٌ وَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
‘اَللَّهُمَّ’ Our Allah-azwj! You-azwj are the Foremost, so there was nothing before You-azwj, and You-azwj are the Last, so there will be nothing after You-azwj, and You-azwj are the Manifest, so there is nothing above You-azwj, and You-azwj are the Hidden, so there is nothing besides You-azwj, and You-azwj are the Mighty, the Wise’.[1]
[1] Al Kafi V 2 – The Book Of Supplication CH 27 H 6