Sahih al-Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari 2782
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ صَبَّاحٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَابِقٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكُ بْنُ مِغْوَلٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْوَلِيدَ بْنَ الْعَيْزَارِ، ذَكَرَ عَنْ أَبِي عَمْرٍو الشَّيْبَانِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَىُّ الْعَمَلِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ " الصَّلاَةُ عَلَى مِيقَاتِهَا ". قُلْتُ ثُمَّ أَىٌّ. قَالَ " ثُمَّ بِرُّ الْوَالِدَيْنِ ". قُلْتُ ثُمَّ أَىٌّ قَالَ " الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ". فَسَكَتُّ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَلَوِ اسْتَزَدْتُهُ لَزَادَنِي.
Al-Hasan ibn Sabbah narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Sabiq narrated to us; Malik ibn Mighwal narrated to us, who said: I heard al-Walid ibn al-ʿAyzar mention Abu ʿAmr al-Shaybani, who said: ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I asked the Messenger of Allah, “What deed is best?” He replied, “Prayer at its appointed time.” I asked, “Then what?” He said, “Kindness to parents.” I asked, “Then what?” He said, “Striving in Allah’s cause.” I did not ask the Messenger of Allah any more; had I asked him for more, he would have told me more.
Translation notes
The wording is “at its appointed time”; the source English witness narrows this to the earliest time.