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His practice was to give this charity before the Eid prayer. In the Sunan collections (1), it is reported that he said: “Whoever gives it before the prayer, it is accepted zakat; whoever gives it after the prayer, it is merely one charity among others.”

In the two Sahīh collections (2), Ibn ‘Umar said: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded (3) that zakat al-fitr be given before people went out to the prayer.”

These two hadiths imply that it is not permissible to delay it until after the Eid prayer, and that once the prayer has ended, its time has passed. This is the correct view, for neither hadith is contradicted or abrogated, nor is there any consensus that rules out acting upon them. Our teacher would affirm and defend this view (4).

A parallel case is that the sacrificial offering is tied to the imam’s prayer, rather than to the time appointed for it: whoever slaughters before the imam’s prayer has not offered a sacrifice, but merely slaughtered a sheep for meat. This is likewise the correct view on that other question, and it reflects the practice of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in both matters. And Allah knows best.