“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.” (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 1414)   

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَقْرُبُ إِلَى جِذْعٍ إِذْ كَانَ الْمَسْجِدُ عَرِيشًا وَكَانَ يَخْطُبُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ الْجِذْعِ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ هَلْ لَكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ لَكَ شَيْئًا تَقُومُ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ حَتَّى يَرَاكَ النَّاسُ وَتُسْمِعَهُمْ خُطْبَتَكَ؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ فَصُنِعَ لَهُ ثَلَاثُ دَرَجَاتٍ اللَّاتِي عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ فَلَمَّا صُنِعَ الْمِنْبَرُ وَوُضِعَ فِي مَوْضِعِهِ الَّذِي وَضَعَهُ فِيهِ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ الْمِنْبَرَ مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُ خَارَ الْجِذْعُ حَتَّى تَصَدَّعَ وَانْشَقَّ فَرَجَعَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَمَسَحَهُ بِيَدِهِ حَتَّى سَكَنَ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَى الْمِنْبَرِ وَكَانَ إِذَا صَلَّى صَلَّى إِلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا هُدِمَ الْمَسْجِدُ وَغُيِّرَ أَخَذَ ذَاكَ الْجِذْعَ أُبَيُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ فَكَانَ عِنْدَهُ حَتَّى بَلِيَ وَأَكَلَتْهُ الْأَرَضَةُ وَعَادَ رُفَاتًا  

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray next to a palm tree trunk when the mosque was made of date palm leaves. He also used to deliver his sermon to the people beside that trunk. A man from his companions said, "O Messenger of Allah, shall I make a minbar (pulpit) for you to stand on during Friday sermons so that the people can see and hear you better?" The Prophet ﷺ agreed, so he built a minbar with three steps, which the Prophet ﷺ used for his sermons.

When the minbar was completed and placed where the Prophet ﷺ intended to use it, he approached it. However, as he moved past the palm tree trunk he used to stand beside and approached the new minbar, the trunk made a sound and seemed to mourn. It quivered and split. Upon hearing this, the Prophet ﷺ descended from the minbar and touched the trunk with his hand in a comforting manner. Then he returned to the minbar.

During his prayers, the Prophet ﷺ would sometimes lean towards the trunk. Ṭufayl said that when the mosque was later rebuilt, and its structure changed, his father Abū Ubayy b. Kaʿb took possession of that palm tree trunk and kept it in his house until it deteriorated and eventually turned to dust.  

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يُصَلِّي إِلَى جِذْعٍ إِذْ كَانَ الْمَسْجِدُ عَرِيشًا وَكَانَ يَخْطُبُ النَّاسَ إِلَى جَانِبِ ذَلِكَ الْجِذْعِ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ هَلْ لَكَ أَنْ أَجْعَلَ لَكَ مِنْبَرًا تَقُومُ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ حَتَّى يَرَى النَّاسُ خُطْبَتَكَ؟ قَالَ: «نَعَمْ۔» فَصَنَعَ لَهُ ثَلَاثَ دَرَجَاتٍ هِيَ الَّتِي عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ۔

فَلَمَّا قُضِيَ الْمِنْبَرُ وَوُضِعَ فِي مَوْضِعِهِ الَّذِي وَضَعَهُ فِيهِ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ بَدَا لِرَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ أَنْ يَقُومَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ الْمِنْبَرِ۔ فَمَرَّ إِلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا أَنْ جَاوَزَ الْجِذْعَ الَّذِي كَانَ يَخْطُبُ إِلَيْهِ وَيَقُومُ إِلَيْهِ خَارَ إِلَيْهِ ذَلِكَ الْجِذْعُ حَتَّى تَصَدَّعَ وَانْشَقَّ۔ فَنَزَلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَمَّا سَمِعَ صَوْتَ الْجِذْعِ فَمَسَحَهُ بِيَدِهِ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَى الْمِنْبَرِ۔

وَكَانَ إِذَا صَلَّى مَعَ ذَلِكَ مَالَ إِلَى الْجِذْعِ۔ يَقُولُ الطُّفَيْلُ: فَلَمَّا هُدِمَ الْمَسْجِدُ وَغُيِّرَ أَخَذَ أَبُوهُ أُبَيُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ ذَلِكَ الْجِذْعَ فَكَانَ عِنْدَهُ فِي بَيْتِهِ حَتَّى بَلِيَ وَأَكَلَتْهُ الْأَرَضَةُ وَعَادَ رُفَاتًا۔  

“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.” (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 1414)   

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُصَلِّي إِلَى جِذْعٍ وَيَخْطُبُ إِلَيْهِ إِذْ كَانَ الْمَسْجِدُ عَرِيشًا فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ أَلَا نَجْعَلُ لَكَ عَرِيشًا تَقُومُ عَلَيْهِ يَرَاكَ النَّاسُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَتُسْمِعُ مِنْ خُطْبَتِكَ؟ قَالَ «نَعَمْ» فَصُنِعَ لَهُ الثَّلَاثُ دَرَجَاتٍ هُنَّ اللَّوَاتِي عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ فَلَمَّا صُنِعَ الْمِنْبَرُ وَوُضِعَ فِي مَوْضِعِهِ الَّذِي وَضَعَهُ فِيهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ «فَلَمَّا جَاءَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُرِيدُ الْمِنْبَرَ مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُ خَارَ الْجِذْعُ حَتَّى تَصَدَّعَ وَانْشَقَّ فَرَجَعَ إِلَيْهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَمَسَحَهُ بِيَدِهِ حَتَّى سَكَنَ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَى الْمِنْبَرِ» قَالَ فَكَانَ إِذَا صَلَّى صَلَّى إِلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا هُدِمَ الْمَسْجِدُ أَخَذَ ذَلِكَ الْجِذْعَ أُبَيُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ عِنْدَهُ حَتَّى بَلِيَ فأكلتْهُ الْأَرَضَةُ وَعَادَ رُفَاتًا  

"عَنْ أُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ يُصَلِّى إِلَى جِذْعٍ إذْ كَانَ الْمَسْجِدُ عَرِيشًا، وَكَانَ يَخْطُبُ إِلًى ذَلِكَ الْجِذْعِ، فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أصْحَابِهِ: هلْ لَكَ أَنْ

تَجْعَلَ شَيْئًا تَقُومُ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ حَتَّى يَرَاكَ النَّاسُ وَتُسْمِعَهُمْ خُطْبَتَكَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. فَصَنَعَ لَهُ ثَلاَثَ دَرَجَاتٍ فَهِىَ الَّتِى أَعْلَى الْمِنْبَرِ، فَلَمَّا وُضِعَ الْمنبَرُ وَضَعُوهُ (الذى هو فيه (*) فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ أَنْ يَقُومَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ مَرَّ إِلَى الْجِذْعِ الَّذِى يَخْطُبُ إِلَيْهِ، فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَ الْجِذْعَ خَارَ حَتَّى تَصَدَّعَ، وَانْشقَّ، فَنَزَلَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ لَمَّا سَمِعَ صَوْتَ الْجِذْعِ فَمَسَحَهُ بَيَدِهِ حَتَّى سَكَنَ، ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَى الْمِنْبَرِ فَكَانَ إِذَا صَلَّى إِلَيْهِ".