حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، قَالَ‏:‏ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، قَالَ‏:‏ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، قَالَ‏:‏ سَمِعْتُ عَاصِمَ بْنَ ضَمْرَةَ، يَقُولُ‏:‏ سَأَلْنَا عَلِيًّا، عَنْ صَلاةِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنَ النَّهَارِ، فَقَالَ‏:‏ إِنَّكُمْ لا تُطِيقُونَ ذَلِكَ، قَالَ‏:‏ فَقُلْنَا‏:‏ مِنْ أَطَاقَ ذَلِكَ مِنَّا صَلَّى، فَقَالَ‏:‏ كَانَ إِذَا كَانَتِ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ هَهُنَا كَهَيْئَتِهَا مِنْ هَهُنَا عِنْدَ الْعَصْرِ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ، وَإِذَا كَانَتِ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ هَهُنَا، كَهَيْئَتِهَا مِنْ هَهُنَا عِنْدَ الظُّهْرِ صَلَّى أَرْبَعًا، وَيُصَلِّي قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ أَرْبَعًا، وَبَعْدَهَا رَكْعَتَيْنِ، وَقَبْلَ الْعَصْرِ أَرْبَعًا، يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَ كُلِّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ بِالتَّسْلِيمِ عَلَى الْمَلائِكَةِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ، وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ‏.‏

“We asked 'Ali (may Allah ennoble his countenance) about the ritual prayer of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) in the daytime, and he said: ‘You would be incapable of that,’ so we said: Anyone of us who is capable of that will perform it!’ He therefore said: ‘When the sun was from over here , at the time of the afternoon prayer, he used to perform two cycles of ritual prayer, and when the sun was from over here, like its appearance from over here, at the time of the midday prayer, he would perform four. He would also perform four cycles before the midday prayer and two after it, and four before the afternoon prayer, separating each pair of cycles with the salutation of peace upon the angels drawn near, and upon the Prophets and the believers and Muslims who follow them'.”