from that side—meaning toward the west—he would rise and pray four rakʿahs; he would also pray four before Ẓuhr once the sun had passed its zenith, then two afterward, and four before ʿAṣr, separating every two rakʿahs by giving the salām to the cherubim, the prophets, and those who follow them from among the Muslims, “placing the final salutation at the very end.”

It was recorded by Aḥmad (nos. 650, 1375), his son (1202), al-Tirmidhī (2/294, 493–494), al-Nasāʾī (1/139–140), Ibn Mājah (1/354), al-Ṭayālisī (1/113–114)—and through him by al-Bayhaqī (2/273)—and by al-Tirmidhī as well in al-Shamāʾil (2/103–104), through a variety of chains from Abū Isḥāq, from ʿĀṣim ibn Ḍamrah, who said:

“We asked ʿAlī about the Prophet’s voluntary prayers during the day. He replied, ‘You will not be able to keep up with them.’ We said, ‘Tell us about them so that we may adopt of them whatever we can manage.’ So he mentioned them.”

Al-Tirmidhī said: “A ḥadith that is ḥasan.” Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm remarked: “This is the finest report transmitted concerning the Prophet’s voluntary prayers in the daytime.” It is related that ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak regarded this ḥadith as weak.

The only reason—Allah knows best—he weakened it is that nothing like this is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) except by this single route: ʿĀṣim ibn Ḍamrah from ʿAlī, and he is deemed reliable by some scholars.

I say: He is ṣadūq (truthful), as al-Ḥāfiẓ stated in al-Taqrīb. Ibn al-Madīnī and others declared him trustworthy, and al-Nasāʾī said: “There is nothing objectionable about him,” so the ḥadith is ḥasan.

The additional wording at the end comes from al-Nasāʾī.

A portion of it was also reported by Abū Dāwūd (1/200) and, via him, by al-Ḍiyāʾ in al-Mukhtārah (1/187) from