The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "People, do not raise me above my true rank, for Allah took me as a servant before He took me as a prophet."
قال رسول الله ﷺ: يا أيها الناس لا ترفعوني فوق قدري، فإن الله اتخذني عبدا قبل أن يتخذني نبيا.
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Tabarani narrated it in Kabir (3/138), and Hakim (3/179), both through the route of Ali bin Qadim, who said, Abdul-Salam bin Harb told us, from Yahya bin Saeed (that is, al-Ansari), from Ali bin Husayn, from his father (that is, Husayn bin Ali bin Abu Talib), who said, "Love us with the love of Islam," then he mentioned the hadith.Hakim added, I mentioned it to Saeed bin Musayab, who said, "Even after He took him as a prophet?"Its isnad is hasan because of Ali bin Qadim al-Khuzai al-Kufi, for there is disagreement about him. He narrated from Thawri hadiths that are not preserved, but this is not one of them.Haythami also graded it hasan in Majma (9/21). Some of them narrated it from Yahya bin Saeed al-Ansari with this isnad as mursal, without mentioning "his father," but Abdul-Salam bin Harb al-Nahdi is trustworthy and a hafiz, and the addition of a trustworthy narrator is accepted by the majority, especially since the hadith has sahih foundations.The statement of Saeed bin Musayab is not part of the raised hadith, rather it is an explanation of the hadith, because he ﷺ was also a servant even after prophethood.