What is the ruling on giving zakat al-fitr a few days before the festival?

The questioner : May Allah reward you. He says: I have already paid the zakat before, before I left Jeddah, until I came for i'tikaf. Is this correct and sufficient?

The Shaykh : Which zakat? Zakat al-fitr? The questioner wants to know about zakat al-fitr, yes?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Okay. We will answer based on this assumption. Zakat al-fitr is not advanced except one or two days before the festival, because it is the zakat of breaking the fast. When is the breaking of the fast? Answer, everyone: on the day of the festival. For this reason, we say that giving the zakat, I mean zakat al-fitr, one or two days before the festival is permissible. The best is to give it on the day of the festival before the prayer. This is the best, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered that it be paid before the people go out to the prayer, as in the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) and in the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas, who said: So I say to the brotherThe questioner : that your zakat is not accepted. But it benefits you, so it is voluntary, and you give zakat al-fitr, if Allah wills, at its proper time. And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The last deadline for the competition is tomorrow, if Allah wills.