Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
tirmidhi:2862Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl > Muḥammad b. Sinān > Salīm b. Ḥayyān Baṣrī > Saʿīd b. Mīnāʾ > Jābir b. ʿAbdullāh

that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The parable of myself and the Prophets [before myself] is that of a man who constructed a house. He completed it and made it well, except for the space of one brick. So the people enter it and marvel at it saying: 'If not for the space of this brick.'"  

Abū ʿĪsá said that this Ḥadīth is Ḥasan-Ṣaḥīḥ-Gharīb in this particular context.
الترمذي:٢٨٦٢حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سِنَانٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سَلِيمُ بْنُ حَيَّانَ بَصْرِيٌّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مِينَاءَ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ

قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِنَّمَا مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ قَبْلِي كَرَجُلٍ بَنَى دَارًا فَأَكْمَلَهَا وَأَحْسَنَهَا إِلاَّ مَوْضِعَ لَبِنَةٍ فَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَدْخُلُونَهَا وَيَتَعَجَّبُونَ مِنْهَا وَيَقُولُونَ لَوْلاَ مَوْضِعُ اللَّبِنَةِ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ أُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ وَأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ  

قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Muslim, Aḥmad, Suyūṭī
bukhari:3534Muḥammad b. Sinān > Salīm > Saʿīd b. Mīnāʾ > Jābir b. ʿAbdullāh

The Prophet ﷺ said, "My similitude in comparison with the other prophets is that of a man who has built a house completely and excellently except for a place of one brick. When the people enter the house, they admire its beauty and say: 'But for the place of this brick (how splendid the house will be)!"  

البخاري:٣٥٣٤حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سِنَانٍ حَدَّثَنَا سَلِيمٌ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مِينَاءَ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ؓ قَالَ

قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ كَرَجُلٍ بَنَى دَارًا فَأَكْمَلَهَا وَأَحْسَنَهَا إِلاَّ مَوْضِعَ لَبِنَةٍ فَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَدْخُلُونَهَا وَيَتَعَجَّبُونَ وَيَقُولُونَ لَوْلاَ مَوْضِعُ اللَّبِنَةِ  

muslim:2287aAbū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > ʿAffān > Salīm b. Ḥayyān > Saʿīd b. Mīnāʾ > Jābir

The similitude of mine and that of the Apostles is like that of a person who built a house and he completed it and made it perfect but for the space of a brick. People entered therein and they were surprised at it and said: Had there been a brick (it would have been complete in all respects). Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: I am that place where the brick (completing the building is to be placed), and I have come to finalise the chain of Apostles.  

مسلم:٢٢٨٧aحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا سَلِيمُ بْنُ حَيَّانَ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مِينَاءَ عَنْ جَابِرٍ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ بَنَى دَارًا فَأَتَمَّهَا وَأَكْمَلَهَا إِلاَّ مَوْضِعَ لَبِنَةٍ فَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَدْخُلُونَهَا وَيَتَعَجَّبُونَ مِنْهَا وَيَقُولُونَ لَوْلاَ مَوْضِعُ اللَّبِنَةِ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَنَا مَوْضِعُ اللَّبِنَةِ جِئْتُ فَخَتَمْتُ الأَنْبِيَاءَ  

ahmad:14888ʿAffān > Salīm b. Ḥayyān > Saʿīd b. Mīnāʾ > Jābir b. ʿAbdullāh

The similitude of mine and that of the Apostles is like that of a person who built a house and he completed it and made it perfect but for the space of a brick. People entered therein and they were surprised at it and said: Had there been a brick (it would have been complete in all respects). Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: I am that place where the brick (completing the building is to be placed), and I have come to finalise the chain of Apostles. (Using translation from Muslim 2287a)  

أحمد:١٤٨٨٨حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا سَلِيمُ بْنُ حَيَّانَ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مِينَاءَ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ ابْتَنَى دَارًا فَأَكْمَلَهَا وَأَحْسَنَهَا إِلَّا مَوْضِعَ لَبِنَةٍ فَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَدْخُلُونَهَا وَيَعْجَبُونَ وَيَقُولُونَ لَوْلَا مَوْضِعُ اللَّبِنَةِ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَأَنَا مَوْضِعُ اللَّبِنَةِ جِئْتُ فَخَتَمْتُ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ  

ahmad:21243ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Mahdī And ʾAbū ʿĀmir > Zuhayr / Ibn Muḥammad > ʿAbdullāh b. Muḥammad b. ʿAqīl > al-Ṭufayl b. Ubay b. Kaʿb from his father

[Machine] About the Prophets, ﷺ , he said: "My example among the Prophets is like a man who built a house and made it beautiful and complete, except for one missing brick. People would go around the construction and admire it, saying, 'If only that one brick was placed, then I would be in the ranks of the Prophets, occupying the place of that missing brick.'"  

أحمد:٢١٢٤٣حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ وَأَبُو عَامِرٍ قَالَا حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرٌ يَعْنِي ابْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَقِيلٍ عَنْ الطُّفَيْلِ بْنِ أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ مَثَلِي فِي النَّبِيِّينَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ بَنَى دَارًا فَأَحْسَنَهَا وَأَكْمَلَهَا وَتَرَكَ فِيهَا مَوْضِعَ لَبِنَةٍ لَمْ يَضَعْهَا فَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَطُوفُونَ بِالْبُنْيَانِ وَيَعْجَبُونَ مِنْهُ وَيَقُولُونَ لَوْ تَمَّ مَوْضِعُ هَذِهِ اللَّبِنَةِ فَأَنَا فِي النَّبِيِّينَ مَوْضِعُ تِلْكَ اللَّبِنَةِ  

ahmad:21244ʿAbdullāh > Saʿīd b. al-Ashʿath b. Saʿīd al-Sammān Ibn Abū al-Rabīʿ > Saʿīd b. Salamah / Ibn Abū al-Ḥusām > ʿAbdullāh b. Muḥammad b. ʿAqīl > al-Ṭufayl b. Ubay b. Kaʿb from his father

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "My example among the prophets is like a man who built a house, beautified and perfected it, except for a small corner he left without placing a brick. People would go around the building and admire it, saying, 'If only this brick was placed.'"  

أحمد:٢١٢٤٤حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْأَشْعَثِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ السَّمَّانُ ابْنُ أَبِي الرَّبِيعِ أَخْبَرَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ يَعْنِي ابْنَ أَبِي الْحُسَامِ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَقِيلٍ عَنِ الطُّفَيْلِ بْنِ أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَثَلِي فِي النَّبِيِّينَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ ابْتَنَى دَارًا فَأَحْسَنَهَا وَأَجْمَلَهَا وَأَكْلَمَهَا وَتَرَكَ مِنْهَا مَوْضِعَ لَبِنَةٍ لَمْ يَضَعْهَا فَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَطُوفُونَ بِالْبُنْيَانِ وَيَعْجَبُونَ وَيَقُولُونَ لَوْ تَمَّ مَوْضِعُ هَذِهِ اللَّبِنَةِ  

suyuti:19907a
Request/Fix translation

  

السيوطي:١٩٩٠٧a

"مثَلِى في النَّبِيِّين كَمثَلِ رجُلٍ بنَى دارًا فَأَحْسنَهَا وأَكْملَهَا وأَجْملَهَا وتَركَ فِيهَا موْضِعَ لَبنَةٍ لَمْ يضَعْهَا فَجعل النَّاسُ يطُوفُون بالْبُنْيانِ ويعجبُونَ مِنْهُ ويقُولُونَ: لَوْ تَمَّ موضِعُ هذ اللَّبنة، فإِنى (*) في النَّبيِّين مَوْضِعُ تِلكَ اللَّبِنَةِ".  

[حم] أحمد وعبد بن حميد، [ت] الترمذي حسن صحيح، [ع] أبو يعلى والسرويانى، [ض] ضياء المقدسي في مختاره عن أُبى بن كعب، [ط] الطيالسي [حم] أحمد [خ] البخاري [م] مسلم [ت] الترمذي صحيح غريب عن جابر [حم] أحمد [خ] البخاري [م] مسلم عن أَبي هريرة [حم] أحمد [م] مسلم عن أَبي سعيد