Which is more meritorious: performing the pre-prayer Sunnah acts at home – which may lead to being late for the mosque – or arriving early at the mosque, even if that means performing the Sunnah acts there? And is the emphasis on arriving early at the mosque absolutely, or on praying in the first row?

It is better to perform the Sunnah (definition) prayers that precede the obligatory ones at home, and for this reason, Imam Ibn Qudamah would often pray them in his house. While arriving early at the mosque has great virtue, being in the first row is not achieved merely by arriving early; one must actually stand in it. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, differentiated between arriving early and being in the first row, for each has its own distinct virtue. Therefore, if a person arrives early at the mosque, they should not neglect to secure a place in the first row, as it possesses a specific virtue not attained merely by arriving early.