“…The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, sent word to a woman: ‘Have your carpenter boy fashion for me some wooden steps from which I may address the people.’ He built three steps, and the Messenger of Allah ordered that they be set in this place. They were made of tamarisk from al-Ghabah, and I saw the Messenger of Allah stand on them and pronounce the opening takbīr….”

This report was recorded by al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Nasaʾi, Ibn Majah, al-Darimi, and Ahmad; the wording is that of Muslim, while the bracketed addition belongs to al-Bukhari and others.

The hadith plainly proves the point we made, for he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “so that you may follow me and learn my prayer.” The Shafiʿis and others have cited it accordingly.

Using the narration to claim a blanket permissibility for leading the prayer from any elevated spot, however, is another matter. Al-Darimi, after quoting the report, wrote: “In this there is a concession for the imam to be higher than his followers.”

Ibn Hazm likewise declared: “Nothing could be clearer than this in proving the permissibility of the imam praying from a place higher than that of the congregation.”

Al-Bukhari related from his teacher ʿAli ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Madini, from Ahmad ibn Hanbal, that he said—