Humam narrates: Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in prayer on a raised platform. He performed prostration on it. Sayyiduna Abu Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) pulled him away. Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted what he said and completed the prayer. When he finished the prayer, Sayyiduna Abu Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Has this not been prohibited? So Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Did you not see me? I have accepted what you said. (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) When a man is an imam and intends to lead people in prayer—those people who have newly embraced Islam—and then that person stands in a place higher than the followers, and his intention is to clearly teach the rulings of prayer to the people, then this is permissible, as is mentioned in the narration transmitted from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him). But when this reason does not exist, then the imam should not stand in a place higher than the followers to perform the prayer, as is mentioned in the narration transmitted from Sayyiduna Abu Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him). In this way, there will remain no contradiction or difference between the two narrations.