“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray facing the trunk of a date- palm tree when the mosque was still a hut, and he used to deliver the sermon leaning on that trunk. A man from among his Companions said: ‘Would you like us to make you something upon which you can stand on Fridays so that the people will be able to see you and hear your sermon?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ So he made three steps for him, as a pulpit. When they put the pulpit in place, they put it in the place where it stands now. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wanted to stand on the pulpit, he passed by the tree trunk from which he used to deliver the sermon, and when he went beyond the trunk, it moaned and split and cracked. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came down when he heard the voice of the trunk, and rubbed it with his hand until it fell silent. Then he went back to the pulpit and when he prayed, he prayed facing it. When the mosque was knocked down (for renovation) and (the pillars, etc.) were changed, Ubayy bin Ka’b took that trunk and kept it in his house until it became very old and the termites consumed it and it became grains of dust.”  

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُصَلِّي إِلَى جِذْعٍ إِذْ كَانَ الْمَسْجِدُ عَرِيشًا وَكَانَ يَخْطُبُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ الْجِذْعِ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ هَلْ لَكَ أَنْ نَجْعَلَ لَكَ شَيْئًا تَقُومُ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ حَتَّى يَرَاكَ النَّاسُ وَتُسْمِعَهُمْ خُطْبَتَكَ قَالَ نَعَمْ فَصَنَعَ لَهُ ثَلاَثَ دَرَجَاتٍ فَهِيَ الَّتِي عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ فَلَمَّا وُضِعَ الْمِنْبَرُ وَضَعُوهُ فِي مَوْضِعِهِ الَّذِي هُوَ فِيهِ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْ يَقُومَ إِلَى الْمِنْبَرِ مَرَّ إِلَى الْجِذْعِ الَّذِي كَانَ يَخْطُبُ إِلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَ الْجِذْعَ خَارَ حَتَّى تَصَدَّعَ وَانْشَقَّ فَنَزَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَمَّا سَمِعَ صَوْتَ الْجِذْعِ فَمَسَحَهُ بِيَدِهِ حَتَّى سَكَنَ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَى الْمِنْبَرِ فَكَانَ إِذَا صَلَّى صَلَّى إِلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا هُدِمَ الْمَسْجِدُ وَغُيِّرَ أَخَذَ ذَلِكَ الْجِذْعَ أُبَىُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ وَكَانَ عِنْدَهُ فِي بَيْتِهِ حَتَّى بَلِيَ فَأَكَلَتْهُ الأَرَضَةُ وَعَادَ رُفَاتًا  

“If I had not embraced it, it would have continued to grieve until the Day of Resurrection.”  

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ يَخْطُبُ إِلَى جِذْعٍ فَلَمَّا اتَّخَذَ الْمِنْبَرَ ذَهَبَ إِلَى الْمِنْبَرِ فَحَنَّ الْجِذْعُ فَأَتَاهُ فَاحْتَضَنَهُ فَسَكَنَ فَقَالَ لَوْ لَمْ أَحْتَضِنْهُ لَحَنَّ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ  

“The people differed concerning the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and what it was made of. So they came to Sahl bin Sa’d and asked him. He said: ‘There is no one left who knows more about that than I. It is made of tamarisk (a type of tree) from Ghabah. It was made by so-and-so, the freed slave of so- and-so (a woman), (who was) a carpenter. He brought it and he (the Prophet ﷺ) stood on it when it was put in position. He faced the Qiblah and the people stood behind him. He recited Qur’an, then bowed and raised his head, then he moved backwards until he prostrated on the ground, then he went back to the pulpit and recited Qur’an, then bowed and raised his head, then he moved backwards until he prostrated on the ground.”  

اخْتَلَفَ النَّاسُ فِي مِنْبَرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ أَىِّ شَىْءٍ هُوَ فَأَتَوْا سَهْلَ بْنَ سَعْدٍ فَسَأَلُوهُ فَقَالَ مَا بَقِيَ أَحَدٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ أَعْلَمَ بِهِ مِنِّي هُوَ مِنْ أَثْلِ الْغَابَةِ عَمِلَهُ فُلاَنٌ مَوْلَى فُلاَنَةَ نَجَّارٌ فَجَاءَ بِهِ فَقَامَ عَلَيْهِ حِينَ وُضِعَ فَاسْتَقْبَلَ الْقِبْلَةَ وَقَامَ النَّاسُ خَلْفَهُ فَقَرَأَ ثُمَّ رَكَعَ ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَرَجَعَ الْقَهْقَرَى حَتَّى سَجَدَ بِالأَرْضِ ثُمَّ عَادَ إِلَى الْمِنْبَرِ فَقَرَأَ ثُمَّ رَكَعَ فَقَامَ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ الْقَهْقَرَى حَتَّى سَجَدَ بِالأَرْضِ  

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to stand by the root of a tree, or by a tree trunk, then he started to use a pulpit. The tree trunk made a grieving sound.” Jabir said: “So that the people in the mosque could hear it. Until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to it and rubbed it, and it calmed down. Some of them said: ‘If he had not come to it, it would have grieved until the Day of Resurrection.’”  

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُومُ فِي أَصْلِ شَجَرَةٍ أَوْ قَالَ إِلَى جِذْعٍ ثُمَّ اتَّخَذَ مِنْبَرًا قَالَ فَحَنَّ الْجِذْعُ قَالَ جَابِرٌ حَتَّى سَمِعَهُ أَهْلُ الْمَسْجِدِ حَتَّى أَتَاهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَمَسَحَهُ فَسَكَنَ فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لَوْ لَمْ يَأْتِهِ لَحَنَّ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ