Arabic (Original)
وَقَالَ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ مِنْ قَبْلِي كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ ابْتَنَى بُيُوتًا فَأَحْسَنَهَا وَأَكْمَلَهَا وَأَجْمَلَهَا إِلَّا مَوْضِعَ لَبِنَةٍ مِنْ زَاوِيَةٍ مِنْ زَوَايَاهَا فَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَطُوفُونَ وَيُعْجِبُهُمْ الْبُنْيَانُ فَيَقُولُونَ أَلَا وَضَعْتَ هَاهُنَا لَبِنَةً فَيَتِمُّ بُنْيَانُكَ فَقَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَكُنْتُ أَنَا اللَّبِنَةَ.
English Translation
Abu al-Qasim (peace be upon him) said: 'My likeness and the likeness of the prophets before me is that of a man who built houses and made them excellent, complete, and beautiful, except for the place of one brick in a corner. People would walk around it admiring the building and say: Why has this brick not been placed so that the building would be complete? Muhammad the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: I am that brick.'