Sahih Muslim Book - 43, Hadith - 5959

حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ النَّاقِدُ ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ بَنَى بُنْيَانًا فَأَحْسَنَهُ وَأَجْمَلَهُ ، فَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يُطِيفُونَ بِهِ ، يَقُولُونَ: مَا رَأَيْنَا بُنْيَانًا أَحْسَنَ مِنْ هَذَا ، إِلاَّ هَذِهِ اللَّبِنَةَ ، فَكُنْتُ أَنَا تِلْكَ اللَّبِنَةَ.

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (s.a.w) said: “The likeness of myself and the Prophets (who came before me) is that of a man who built a structure and built it well and he made it beautiful, and the people started walking around it and saying: ‘We have never seen any structure more beautiful than this, except for this brick.’ I am that brick.”