Narrated Ali: That the Prophet ﷺ used to pray two rak'ahs before the Asr prayer.
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
1272. Commentary:
These Sunnahs are recommended (mustahabb) and are not counted among the regular Sunnahs (Sunan Rawatib, i.e., emphasized Sunnahs). Also, the narration mentioning two rak‘ahs does not contradict the one mentioning four rak‘ahs; rather, the narration of two rak‘ahs is to be understood as referring to occasional practice, i.e., sometimes four rak‘ahs were performed and sometimes two rak‘ahs. For details, see: [عون المعبود]
According to Shaykh al-Albani rahimahullah, this narration with the wording "four rak‘ahs" is hasan (good in authenticity).
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 1272