<b>Guidance from the Hadiths:</b><br> 1) They point out the Prophet’s guidance concerning the Sunnah of the ‘Asr prayer. It is an ordinary supererogatory prayer, not a Rātibah (regular) one.<br> 2) Performing four Rak‘ahs before the ‘Asr prayer leads to winning Allah’s mercy.<br> 3) The four Rak‘ahs are to be separated with Tashahhud, not Taslim. That is the prescribed Prophetic guidance.<br> Note:<br> Authentic Hadiths mention that the Sunnah before the ‘Asr prayer is four Rak‘ahs. As for the Hadith in which ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform two Rak‘ahs before the ‘Asr prayer, it is weak, given that it contradicts the authentic Hadiths.