The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray facing a palm trunk back when the mosque was just a thatched shelter, and he would deliver his sermons leaning against that trunk. One of his companions said to him, "Would you like us to make something for you to stand upon on Fridays so that the people can see you and hear your sermon?"He replied, "Yes."So they made for him three steps, which became the upper part of the pulpit. When the pulpit was made, they placed it in the spot where it now stands. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intended to go to the pulpit, he passed by the trunk against which he used to deliver his sermons. As he went past the trunk, it moaned until it cracked and split open. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ heard the sound of the trunk, he came down, stroked it with his hand until it grew quiet, then returned to the pulpit. Whenever he prayed, he would pray facing it.When the mosque was demolished and rebuilt, Ubayy bin Kaab took that trunk and kept it at his house until it decayed, was eaten by termites, and crumbled to dust.
كان رسول الله ﷺ يصلي إلى جذع إذ كان المستجد عريشا، وكان يخطب إلى ذلك الجذع، فقال رجل من أصحابه: هل لك أن نجعل لك شيئا تقوم عليه يوم الجمعة حتى يراك الناس وتسمعهم خطبتك؟ قال: نعم. فصنع له ثلاث درجات، فهي التي أعلى المنبر، فلما وضع المنبر، وضعوه في موضعه الذي هو فيه، فلما أراد رسول الله ﷺ أن يقوم إلى المنبر، مر إلى الجذع الذي كان يخطب إليه، فلما جاوز الجذع خار حتى تصدع وانشق، فنزل رسول الله ﷺ لما سمع صوت الجذع، فمسحه بيده حتى سكن، ثم رجع إلى المنبر، فكان إذا صلى صلى إليه، فلما هدم المسجد وغير، أخذ ذلك الجذع أبي بن كعب، وكان عنده في بيته حتى بلي، فأكلته الأرضة، وعاد رفاتا.
Ibn Majah narrated it (1414), he said, Ismail bin Abdullah Raqqi told us, Ubaydullah bin Amr Raqqi told us, from Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Aqeel, from Tufayl bin Abu bin Kaab, from his father, and he related it.Its isnad is hasan, because of Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Aqeel, for there is disagreement about him, though he is truthful and his hadith is hasan. Busiri said, "This isnad is hasan."Darimi narrated it (36), from Zakariya bin Adi, from Ubaydullah bin Amr, with the same chain. Its wording is, "The Messenger of Allah used to pray facing a palm trunk and deliver his sermon leaning against it, when the masjid was a shelter of palm branches. A man among his companions said to him, 'Shall we not make you a raised platform to stand on...'" and he related the rest of the hadith.As for his saying, "the masjid was a shelter of palm branches," the arsh here means the roof, and the areesh is anything that provides shade. As for his saying, "Shall we not make you a areesh," what is meant by areesh here is something to sit upon, like a raised seat, while the arsh is the throne of a king.