Sahih al-Bukhari 377

It is related that Abu Hazim said, "They asked Sahl ibn Sa'd, 'What was the minbar made out of?' He said, 'No one is left who knows that better than I do. It was made of tamarisk from al-Ghaba. So-and-so, the mawla of so-and-so, made it for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and when it had been made and put in place the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stood on it, faced the qibla and said, "Allah is greater." The people stood behind him. He recited and bowed and the people bowed behind him. Then he raised his head and stepped down and prostrated on the ground. Then he returned to the minbar and bowed again and raised his head. Then he stepped back down to prostrate on the ground. This is what I know about it." 'Ali ibn 'Abdullah said that Ahmad ibn Hanbal asked him about this hadith. He said, "I meant that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was higher than the people, so, according to this hadith, there is no harm in the Imam being higher than the people." I said, "Sufyan ibn 'Uyayna used to be asked about this a lot, so did you not hear it from him?" He said, "No."