Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 448
sahih

Narrated Sahl:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sent someone to a woman telling her to "Order her slave, carpenter, to prepare a wooden pulpit for him to sit on."

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ، عَنْ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، عَنْ سَهْلٍ، قَالَ بَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلَى امْرَأَةٍ أَنْ مُرِي غُلاَمَكِ النَّجَّارَ يَعْمَلْ لِي أَعْوَادًا أَجْلِسُ عَلَيْهِنَّ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 8, Hadith 97
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 1, Book 8, Hadith 439 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
In the beginning, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would stand on a palm trunk in the mosque when addressing the people and delivering khutbahs, then he acquired a minbar. In this hadith, Sahl ibn Sa‘d al-Sa‘idi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sent word to a woman – it was said that she was a woman of the Ansar – telling her to instruct her slave and servant, who was a carpenter, to make something of wood for him to sit on when addressing the people. This woman had previously made an offer to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to have something made for him to sit on when addressing the people and so on, because she had a slave who was a skilled carpenter and could make things out of wood. This slave made the minbar, which consisted of three steps and was not very high, as is mentioned in the reports. This hadith indicates that one should stand and sit on an elevated surface when addressing people and delivering khutbahs, and that minbars may be used in mosques. It indicates that one may seek the help of craftsmen and skilled people in anything that may be beneficial to the Muslims, and that the one who takes the initiative to do such things is to be appreciated and thanked..