Then Hudhayfah stepped forward and took him by the hand, so Ammar followed him until Hudhayfah brought him down. When he finished his prayer, Hudhayfah said to him, 'Did you not hear the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: "When a man leads a people in prayer, he must not stand in a place higher than their station"?' Ammar replied, 'It was for that reason that I followed you when you took my hand.' From Hammam, that Hudhayfah led the people in al-Mada'in while on a platform, and Abu Mas'ud took hold of his shirt and pulled him. When he finished his prayer, he said, 'Did you not know that they used to forbid that?' He said, 'Yes, [I remembered] when you pulled me.' Both were narrated by Abu Dawud. From Ibn Mas'ud, that a man stepped forward [to lead a people in prayer] on a place, so he stood on a platform, and Ibn Mas'ud forbade him and said to the imam, 'Be level with your companions.' This is because he needs to follow his imam, so he looks at his bowing and prostration; if he is higher than them, he would need to raise his gaze towards him to observe him, and that is forbidden in prayer. As for the hadith of Sahl, it is apparent that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was on the lowest step, so that he would not need to perform much movement in ascending and descending; thus it was a slight height, so there is no harm in it, reconciling between the reports. It is also possible that this is specific to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), because he did something and forbade it, so his act is for him and his prohibition is for others, and for this reason, such is not recommended for anyone other than the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Furthermore, the Prophet did not complete the prayer on the pulpit, for his prostration and sitting were on the ground, unlike what we have differed upon.
Section: There is no harm in slight elevation, due to the hadith of Sahl, and because the prohibition is explained by what it leads to
(2) In the original: "Hisham," which is an error. (3) "Jabadahu" and "jadhabahu" have the same meaning. (4) In [A] and [M]: "fadhakartu" (then I remembered). (5) That is, you pulled my shirt and drew it toward you. (6) In: Chapter: The Imam stands in a place higher than the place of the people, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/141. (7) In the original: "yaqumu" (stands). (8) In [A]: "ila" (to). (9) In [A] and [M]: "kabir" (great).
