In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [rahimahullaah] said: Supplication are of three types.

The first type: Is that you ask Allaah through His Names and Attributes, and this is one of the explanations of the Ayah: [    وَلِلَّهِ ٱلۡأَسۡمَآءُ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰ فَٱدۡعُوهُ بِہَا‌ۖ – And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah , so call on Him by them]. [Al-A’raaf: Ayah 180]

The second type: Is that you ask Allaah due to your need and poverty, so you say: “I am a Faqeer slave (i.e. a poor slave who does not even have enough to meet his basic needs; I am a miskeen (i.e. one who does not have enough to fulfill some of his needs); I am an insignificant one; I am a seeker of help” and so on. The Third type: Is that you ask Allaah for your need without using one of the two types (i.e. without using the wording in the first and second types of supplication; rather you only say for example: O Allaah give me such and such etc). The first type is more perfect than the second and the second is more perfect than the third.  And if a supplication combines all three types, then it is most perfect. [source:جلاء الافهام page 155 ]