Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 225
وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لَوْ أَنَّ النَّاسَ يَعْلَمُونَ مَا فِي النِّدَاءِ وَالصَّفِّ الأَوَّلِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَجِدُوا إِلاَّ أَنْ يَسْتَهِمُوا عَلَيْهِ لاَسْتَهَمُوا عَلَيْهِ " . قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا بِذَلِكَ إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ مُوسَى الأَنْصَارِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا مَعْنٌ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكٌ عَنْ سُمَىٍّ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِثْلَهُ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
The Prophet said: ‘If people knew what reward there is in the call to prayer and the first row, and then found no way to obtain them except by drawing lots, they would draw lots for them.’
Ishaq ibn Musa al-Ansari narrated this to us: Ma‘n narrated to us: Malik narrated to us, from Sumayy, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, a report like it.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source states the hypothetical competition for both the call to prayer and the first row.