Is zakat al-fitr sufficient if it is paid out in the middle of Ramadan?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question : May Allah reward you. A man gave zakat al-fitr in the middle of the month of Ramadan. Is that sufficient?
Answer : It is a charity (sadaqah), not zakat al-fitr. He has to give it again tonight, because whoever performs an act of worship before its time has not been absolved of the obligation by it. So we tell the brother who gave it that what he gave in the past is a charity for which he will be rewarded, if Allah wills. But it is obligatory for you to give the zakat al-fitr this evening, before the festival prayer.
Answer : It is a charity (sadaqah), not zakat al-fitr. He has to give it again tonight, because whoever performs an act of worship before its time has not been absolved of the obligation by it. So we tell the brother who gave it that what he gave in the past is a charity for which he will be rewarded, if Allah wills. But it is obligatory for you to give the zakat al-fitr this evening, before the festival prayer.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 44 - 45 - دروس وفتاوى المسجد الحرام للعام 1417 هـ - الدرس الرابع والأربعين - الشيخ ابن عثيمين — youtube.com (23:17)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.