Abu Uthman reported,

I had a cousin who lived far from the mosque. I said to him, "If only you would get a donkey or something to ride."He replied, "It would not please me for my house to be pitched right next to the house of Muhammad ﷺ."I had never heard him say anything more upsetting to me than this. But then it turned out he was speaking about the steps taken to the mosque. He asked the Prophet ﷺ about it, and the Prophet ﷺ said, "For every step, he has a degree."

حدثنا سفيان عن عاصم

عن أبي عثمان عن أبي قال

كان ابن عم لي شاسع الدار فقلت لو أنك اتخذت حمارا أو شيئا فقال ما يسرني أن بيتي مطنب ببيت محمد ﷺ قال فما سمعت عنه كلمة أكره إلي منها قال فإذا هو يذكر الخطا إلى المسجد فسأل النبي ﷺ فقال إن له بكل خطوة درجة