"once he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) prayed on the pulpit (in another narration: '... which had three steps')³⁴. hence [he stood on it and said takbeer and the people behind him said takbeer while he was on the pulpit,] [then he made rukoo' on the pulpit,] then he rose and descended backwards to make sajdah at the foot of the pulpit. then he returned, [and did on it as he had done in the first rak'ah], until he completed his prayer. he then turned to the people and said: o people! i have done this so that you may follow me and learn my prayer.³⁵

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34 this is the sunnah about the pulpit: that it should have three steps, not more, to have more is an innovation, from the period of bani umayyah, which often causes an interruption in the row, and to get out of that by having it in the western corner of the mosque or in the mihrab is another innovation, as is the raising of it in the wall like a balcony to which one ascends by means of steps in the wall! whereas the best guidance is the guidance of muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam). see fath al-baari (2/331).

35 bukhaari , muslim (who collected the other narration) & ibn sa`d (1/253). it is given in irwaa' (545)