What is the ruling on giving zakat al-fitr seven days before Ramadan?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : He says: I want to give zakat al-fitr in my home country, and the distance to it is far, taking seven days. I gave it seven days before Ramadan. Is the zakat valid? If it is not valid, what should I do?
The Shaykh : The zakat is not valid. Explain, my brothers, because it was given before its time. If the midday prayer were valid in the morning, answer me. It is not valid. Zakat al-fitr before its time is not valid. But, praise be to Allah, as long as the intention is good and he intended to draw near to Allah with it, it becomes voluntary, meaning voluntary charity. It is obligatory for him, when the time for giving zakat al-fitr comes, to give zakat al-fitr.
The presenter : May Allah reward you,
The Shaykh : The zakat is not valid. Explain, my brothers, because it was given before its time. If the midday prayer were valid in the morning, answer me. It is not valid. Zakat al-fitr before its time is not valid. But, praise be to Allah, as long as the intention is good and he intended to draw near to Allah with it, it becomes voluntary, meaning voluntary charity. It is obligatory for him, when the time for giving zakat al-fitr comes, to give zakat al-fitr.
The presenter : May Allah reward you,
Source
دروس وفتاوى المسجد الحرام لعام 1419هـ - 39 — binothaimeen.net (47:01)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.