What he compared himself and everyone else to
He is not the fire and he is not the moths.
فَأَنَا آخُذُ بِحُجَزِكُمْ عَنِ النَّارِ، وَأَنْتُمْ تَقْتَحِمُونَ فِيهَا
Fa-anā ākhudhu bi-ḥujazikum ʿani-n-nār, wa antum taqtaḥimūna fīhā
“So I am taking hold of your waistbands, holding you back from the Fire, and you are plunging into it.”
Where this comes from
A man lit a fire, and when it lit up what was around it the moths and the insects that fall into fires started falling in. He kept pulling them out and they kept beating him and throwing themselves in.
The full narration
Narrated Abu Huraira:I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "My example and the example of the people is that of a man who made a fire, and when it lighted what was around it, Moths and other insects started falling into the fire. The man tried (his best) to prevent them, (from falling in the fire) but they overpowered him and rushed into the fire. The Prophet (ﷺ) added: Now, similarly, I take hold of the knots at your waist (belts) to prevent you from falling into the Fire, but you insist on falling into it
Source
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī · 6483
- Agreed upon as authentic (al-Bukhārī / Muslim)