Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that I asked: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Which mosque was built first on the face of the earth? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Al-Masjid al-Haram. He narrated that then I asked: And after that? He said: Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (Bayt al-Maqdis). I asked: What was the time interval between the construction of the two? He said: Forty years. Then he said: Now, wherever the time for prayer comes upon you, perform the prayer there; offering prayer is of great virtue.