The Prophet (ﷺ) taught us that whenever we want to make dua, we should first praise Allah (SWT), then send salawaat upon him (ﷺ), and finally make our dua.
What does it actually mean to praise Allah (SWT) though? He is Allah - the Lord and Master of everything that exists, everything that has existed, and everything that will exist - what could we possibly say that is befitting of Him?
The Prophet (ﷺ) taught us that the best way to praise Allah (SWT) is to say: الحَمْدُ لِله - Alhamdulillah. The best way to praise Allah (SWT) is to thank Him for all the blessings that we enjoy.
The best way to start off our duas is by mentioning these blessings - whatever comes to our minds and hearts. “Oh Allah, thank You for our health, for our families and friends, for our opportunities, for our food and drink, for our homes, for our faith - all of this is from You.”
Allah (SWT) beautifully reminds us in Surah Ibrahim that if we are grateful, He will increase us in ways we could not even imagine (14:7). 
We are then taught to send salawaat on the Prophet (S). Why? When we are told to start our duas by praising Allah (SWT) and sending salawaat on the Prophet (ﷺ), we are actually reminded to show appreciation -
- appreciation for everything that Allah (SWT) has done but also, appreciation for everything that His beloved, and our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) has done for us.
There is no human who has ever done more, sacrificed more, and tolerated more for us than our Prophet (ﷺ). He prayed for us, he cried for us, he bled for us - literally. So before we make a request, we are taught to show respect.
#DuaProTips
#DuaProTips
