Sunnah Salah for the `Asr Prayer

Q 3: Is there a confirmed Sunnah that should be performed before or after `Asr (afternoon) Prayer? It is worth mentioning that I have read what Shaykh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah wrote in his book Al-Fatawa Al-Kubra, vol.1, p.174, Dar Al-Ma`rifah edition, Beirut, Lebanon; that there is no confirmed Sunnah for `Asr. However, I read two Hadiths in Riyad Al-Salihin; one of them is related on the authority of (Part No. 6; Page No. 128) `Aly (may Allah be pleased with him) that: The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to perform four Rak`ahs before the `Asr (afternoon) Prayer... Related by Al-Tirmidhy who said: this is a Hadith Hasan (good Hadith). While the other Hadith is related on the authority of Ibn `Umar that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: May Allah have mercy on a man who performs four Rak`ahs before Al-`Asr (Afternoon) Prayer. Related by Abu Dawud and Al-Tirmidhy who said: This is a Hadith Hasan.

A: The `Asr (Afternoon) Prayer has no confirmed Sunnah neither before nor after it. As for the Salah which is performed before it, it is supererogatory and is included in the Prophet's saying: There is a prayer between the two calls (Adhan and Iqama). As for offering Salah after `Asr, it is a time of prohibition when Salah is invalid except if there is a reason, such as Salat-ul-Kusuf (Prayer at the time of a solar eclipse), Tahiyyat-ul-Masjid (two-unit Prayer to salute the mosque) and the two-Rak`ahs after Tawaf, according to the soundest opinion of scholars.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.