(And verily We know the eager among you and verily We know the laggards) [15:24].
Nasr ibn Abi Nasr al-Wa‘iz informed us> Abu Sa‘id ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Nusayr al-Razi> Muhammad ibn Ayyub al-Razi> Sa‘id ibn Mansur> Nuh ibn Qays al-Tahi> ‘Amr ibn Malik> Abu’l-Jawza’> Ibn ‘Abbas who said: “A beautiful woman used to pray behind the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, but she used to stand in prayer behind all the women present. Some people used to proceed to the first row so as not to see her. Others, on the other hand, used to pray in the last row on purpose, such that, upon bowing, they caught a glimpse behind them [trying to see that woman]. And so, this verse was revealed (And verily We know the eager among you and verily We know the laggards)”.
Al-Rabi‘ ibn Anas said: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, encouraged people to pray in the first row and, as a result, people jostled with each other for a place at the first row. The houses of Banu ‘Udhrah were very far from the mosque and so they said: ‘Let us sell our houses and buy houses close to the mosque’. Then, Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou