And I believe al-Bayhaqī narrated it with this wording, tracing it back to the Prophet.

Sufyān ibn ‘Uyaynah was asked about the saying:

“The best supplication on the Day of ‘Arafah is: There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner. His is the dominion, and His is all praise, and He has power over all things.”

He mentioned this hadith and recited the verses of Umayyah ibn Abī al-Salt praising Ibn Jud‘ān:

“Must I state my need, or has your modesty spared me?
For modesty is your nature.
When a man praises you,
His praise suffices without his having to ask.”

He said: “Here is a created being addressing another created being. How much more so, then, with the Creator, exalted is He!”

Another example is the supplication transmitted from Moses, peace be upon him:

“O Allah, to You belongs all praise, to You complaints are brought, Your help is sought, You are called upon for relief, and upon You we rely.”

This is a statement that implicitly includes a request. Another example is the saying of Job, peace be upon him:

“Adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.”

He described himself and his Lord in terms that implicitly ask for His mercy through the removal of his affliction. It is a statement that implicitly includes a request.

This exemplifies good manners in asking and supplicating. Thus, when someone says to a person whom he holds in esteem and to whom he turns for help: “I am hungry; I am