Is prayer valid if performed before its prescribed time?
Chapter on Prayer Times
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
The prayer performed before its appointed time is invalid, according to the opinion of the majority of scholars, including Al-Zuhri, Al-Awza'i, Al-Shafi'i, and the Ashab al-Ra'y (the Hanafi school). This invalidity holds whether the act was done intentionally or mistakenly, covering the entire prayer or only a part of it. The rationale is that the command for prayer is directed to the accountable person only upon the entry of its time, and nothing subsequently found can remove that obligation, thus the act remains in its invalid state.
Supporting text
Some reports indicate that Ibn Umar and Abu Musa repeated the Fajr prayer because they performed it before the prescribed time. Furthermore, there is a view from Ibn Abbas, as well as Al-Hasan and Al-Sha'bi, stating that if a traveler performs Dhuhr before Dhuhr time (Zawāl), it is sufficient. Malik's view leans towards the majority, though he specified that if someone prays Isha before the disappearance of the red twilight (Maghrib al-Shafaq) due to ignorance or forgetfulness, they must repeat it if they realize the error while the time remains. If the time passes before knowledge or remembrance occurs, there is no obligation upon them.