Someone asked Hazrat Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him): "What kind of wood was the pulpit of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made from?" He replied: "By Allah! I know best what kind of wood it was made from, who made it, on which day it was made, on which day it was brought and placed in the Prophet’s Mosque, and I also witnessed the day when the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) first graced it. The details of all these matters are as follows: Once, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a message to a woman who had a slave carpenter, saying: 'Tell your carpenter slave to make some wooden planks for me so that I may sit on them while delivering sermons.' The woman ordered her slave accordingly, so he went to 'Ghaba', cut wood from a tree, and made a pulpit consisting of three steps. The woman sent that pulpit to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had it placed exactly where you see it today, and on that very day, he sat on it for the first time and proclaimed the takbeer. Then he descended backwards and prostrated. The people also prostrated along with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) until it was completed. He then said: 'O people! I did this so that you may follow me and learn my way of performing prayer.' Someone asked Hazrat Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him): 'Is the story about the trunk that is famous among the people true?' He replied: 'The incident that occurred did indeed take place.'"