All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and may blessings and peace be upon the one whom Allah sent as a mercy to all creation, and upon his family, companions, and brothers until the Day of Judgment. To proceed:
Know that the pulpit of the Prophet ﷺ, in terms of its description, was small, short, and modest. It was made of wood and did not exceed three steps. The Prophet ﷺ used to stand on the step just below the seat (al-mustarah)(1), and the distance between the location of his pulpit and the wall was about the width of a sheep’s passage. Thus, his pulpit ﷺ, in its structure and placement, neither disrupted the prayer rows nor distanced or harmed the worshippers. It fulfilled the Sunnah of having the Imam stand visibly for both prayer and the Friday sermon (khutbah), as the congregation seeing the Imam has a more significant impact on their hearts and strengthens his admonition and guidance. It also ensured the Sunnah of directly facing the Imam.
This is supported by the narration of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him):
“The Prophet ﷺ used to stand on Fridays leaning his back against a tree trunk in the mosque and deliver a sermon to the people. A Roman man came to him and said: ‘Shall I make something for you to sit on while appearing as though you are standing?’ He then made for him a pulpit with two steps, and the Prophet ﷺ would sit on the third” (Narrated by Abu Dawood).
Similarly, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated:
“The pulpit of the Prophet ﷺ was short, consisting of only three steps” (Reported in authentic collections).
Jarir (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“He prayed Dhuhr, then ascended a small pulpit” (Authenticated narration).
Salamah ibn Al-Akwa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
“The distance between the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the wall was about the width of a sheep’s passage” (Reported in Sahih collections).
The Prophet ﷺ did not restrict his use of the pulpit to giving sermons on Fridays alone. Instead, he also used his pulpit as a means of teaching, guiding, explaining rulings, and advising people on other days whenever the need arose, as established in the Sunnah. The pulpit remained in this condition even after the time of the Rightly Guided Successors.
Imam An-Nawawi’s Commentary on Mimbar
Imam An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“The scholars unanimously agreed that it is recommended for the sermon (khutbah) to be delivered from a pulpit (minbar), based on the authentic narrations we referenced, as it is more effective for conveying the message. When the people see the preacher, it has a greater impact on their hearts and is more effective in admonishing them.” (2)
However, over time, people introduced innovations in the form, shape, placement, and number of steps of the pulpit, which are known to contradict the Prophetic guidance. They erected tall, lofty pulpits with numerous steps that disrupted the prayer rows, blocked the view of worshippers, and caused them discomfort. It is narrated:
“We were forbidden during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to form rows between the columns, and we were driven away from them” (Sahih narration).
Some people constructed pulpits with raised roofs, towering domes, and doors through which the preacher would enter alone and lock behind him.
Others imitated the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) in their religious practices by embedding their pulpits into the central wall facing the congregation, resembling a balcony or window from which the preacher would address the people. This is apart from the added innovations of ornate decorations, engravings, carpeted steps, increased numbers of steps, curtains, flags, and other innovations.
As for the argument that the pulpit of the Prophet ﷺ was merely a tool associated with his actions, and it is not obligatory to replicate his tools when emulating his actions (similar to his masjid, which was built of clay and palm leaves, yet it is not necessary to use the same materials for building masjids), it is said: The purpose of the pulpit was to enable the Prophet ﷺ to be heard clearly, as raising the preacher above the congregation fulfills this purpose, just as the adhan (call to prayer) benefits from being delivered from an elevated position to reach more people. Thus, the primary aim of the pulpit is to achieve the benefit of conveying the message, regardless of its materials or specific design.
However, when the need arose to modify the pulpit’s design or height for practical reasons, such adjustments were permitted. For instance, Marwan added six steps to the pulpit of the Prophet ﷺ during the caliphate of Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), saying: “I only added them because the number of people increased.” (3)
It was also reported that Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first to extend the pulpit to 15 steps. (4)
Response to This Argument:
While emulating the Prophet ﷺ in his actions does not necessarily entail replicating the exact tools he used, this principle applies only when there is no evidence or indication that a particular tool was used for a specific religious purpose. In such cases, the tool becomes an essential part of the Sunnah. For example, when Tamim Ad-Dari (may Allah be pleased with him) suggested making a pulpit for the Prophet ﷺ and said, “Shall I not make for you a pulpit to gather and support your frame?” the Prophet ﷺ approved and said, “Yes.” Tamim then made a pulpit with two steps. (5), which the Prophet ﷺ used for delivering sermons. The Prophet ﷺ’s use and approval of this pulpit indicate that its specific characteristics were significant for achieving the intended religious purposes.
For this reason, the pulpit remained unchanged during the time of the Rightly Guided Successors, retaining its original three steps, even as the number of worshippers increased in the Prophet’s Mosque. The use of pulpits with prohibited characteristics—such as imitating the Jews and Christians, incorporating excessive decorations, curtains, and carpets, or causing harm to worshippers by blocking their view or disrupting prayer rows—is explicitly discouraged. If a single prohibited feature in a pulpit is disliked, what can be said about pulpits that combine all these prohibited features?
Regarding the Reported Modifications by Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him):
The addition of steps to the pulpit attributed to Mu'awiyah is not established with certainty by the hadith scholars. (6)
On Invoking Public Benefit (Maslahah):
For an action to be considered valid under the principle of public benefit (maslahah), the following conditions must be met:
1. It must not conflict with an explicit text or scholarly consensus.
2. It must align with the objectives of the Shari’ah, preserving and protecting them.
3. It must not contradict a greater or equal benefit.
4. It must not result in a harm that outweighs or equals the perceived benefit.
Any innovation in the pulpit that fails to meet these criteria, especially when it involves prohibited elements, is to be avoided.
In conclusion, most of the newly introduced pulpits—apart from their clear contradiction to the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ regarding the description of his pulpit—reflect the practices of the Jews and Christians in their synagogues and churches. Moreover, they obscure many Sunnah-based practices, such as the prominence of the Imam, teaching and explaining rulings throughout the week, the congregation facing the Imam, gathering around him for lessons, and other similar practices. Consequently, these innovations deprive their followers of these blessings, which is an inevitable outcome of opposing the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
The foundational principle is that people should emulate the Best of creation, Muhammad ﷺ, in all aspects, including preparing and designing their pulpits in a manner resembling his. This is because the most evident benefit derived from following him is the adherence to his Sunnah in belief, speech, and action. Conversely, the gravest harm lies in deviating from his guidance and following the path of innovations and newly introduced practices. It is reported in the hadith:
"The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ, and the worst matters are newly introduced ones; every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance leads to the Fire." (7)
And Allah knows best. Our final prayer is: Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. May Allah's blessings and peace be upon Muhammad, his family, his companions, and his brothers until the Day of Judgment.
Algeria: 23rd Shawwal, 1431 AH
Corresponding to: 2nd October, 2010 CE
Endnotes:
1. Al-Mustaraah: This refers to the top of the pulpit where the preacher sits to rest before delivering the two sermons during the call to prayer and between them, as per the Sunnah.
(2) Al-Majmu' by An-Nawawi (4/527).
(3) Fath Al-Bari by Ibn Hajar (2/399).
(4) Siyar A’lam An-Nubala' by Adh-Dhahabi (3/157), and At-Taratib Al-Idariyyah by Al-Kattani (2/440).
(5) Narrated by Abu Dawood in Kitab As-Salah under the chapter “Constructing the Pulpit” (1081) from the hadith of Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). Classified as authentic by Al-Albani in Sahih Sunan Abi Dawood (993) and Silsilah As-Saheehah (1/624), at hadith no. 313.
(6) See Al-Ajwibah An-Nafi'ah by Al-Albani (67).
(7) Narrated by An-Nasa’i in Kitab Salat Al-Eidayn under the chapter “How is the Sermon?” (1578) from the hadith of Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both). Classified as authentic by Al-Albani in Irwa Al-Ghaleel (3/73), no. 608.
Original source.
Culled and adapted by Aboo Aamir Al-Atharee.
