I heard ʿAsim bin Damrah say: We asked ‘Ali ؓ about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ during the day and he said: You cannot do that. We said: Whoever among us is able to do it [will do it]. He said: When the sun was as high there as it is there the time of ‘Asr, he prayed two rakʿahs, When the sun was as high there as it is there at the time of Zuhr, he prayed four rak’ahs. He prayed four rakʿahs before Zuhr and two afterwards, and [he prayed] four rakʻahs before ‘Asr, separating each two rakʿahs with the greeting (tasleem) upon the angels who are close to Allah, the Prophets, and those who follow them of the believers and the Muslims. (Using translation from Aḥmad 1375)   

عَنْ صَلَاةِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ بِالنَّهَارِ؟ فَقَالَ لَا تُطِيقُونَ كَانَ «إِذَا كَانَتِ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ هَاهُنَا يَعْنِي الْمَشْرِقَ كَهَيْئَتِهَا مِنْ هَاهُنَا يَعْنِي الْمَغْرِبَ عِنْدَ الْعَصْرِ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَإِذَا كَانَتِ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ هَاهُنَا يَعْنِي الْمَشْرِقَ كَهَيْئَتِهَا مِنْ هَاهُنَا يَعْنِي الْمَغْرِبَ عِنْدَ الظُّهْرِ صَلَّى أَرْبَعًا وَكَانَ يُصَلِّي قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ أَرْبَعًا وَبَعْدَهَا رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَقَبْلَ الْعَصْرِ أَرْبَعًا وَيَفْصِلُ بَيْنَ كُلِّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ بِالتَّسْلِيمِ عَلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ»