Which is better: praying in the first row of the Prophet’s Mosque or in the Garden?

The student : Regarding prayer, is praying in the first row of the Prophet’s Mosque better, or the other?

The Shaykh : The first row is wherever the mosque extends; so there, the first row is the first row. Praying in the Garden does not have a special virtue. The virtue is in the Prophet’s Mosque, no matter how much it is extended or added to; the virtue is the same. However, the virtue of the one who prays in the first row is not equal to the virtue of the one who prays in the last row. As for praying in the Garden and the crowding that people engage in because of this call, I do not find a justification for it in the Shari'ah.
The student : Is there a preference for voluntary prayer?

The Shaykh : Yes?
The student : Voluntary prayer in the Garden.

The Shaykh : Like the rest of the mosque.
The student : . Righteous deeds... reciting the Qur'an...

The Shaykh : This does not mean pray and leave the first row.
The student : The point regarding voluntary prayer is whether all parts of the mosque are equal to the Garden?

The Shaykh : What I said earlier is that no special virtue has come for praying in the Garden. It is true that the Garden is one of the gardens of Paradise, but this does not mean that the lesson is better there or that voluntary prayer is better there.
The student : Meaning, the preference of the location does not necessitate the preference of the deed performed in it, by virtue of it being a location about which it was reported that it is a garden from the gardens of Paradise. So, dhikr there, reciting the Qur'an, and...

The Shaykh : There is no text regarding that.