Ruling on cooking zakat al-fitr and then distributing it to the poor
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Q131: The questioner says: I distributed my zakat al-fitr last year in a way that is not customary, to make it easier for the poor. I cooked a sa' of rice and then distributed it to a number of poor people on the night of the festival. Is my action valid? And if so, is it better than giving it uncooked?
A131: Your action is valid, because it falls under the category of charity, whether you give it cooked or uncooked. However, giving it uncooked is better. First, because that is what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded: you give a sa' of food to the needy as zakat al-fitr, and he specified it by the sa'. Also, the cooked food may not amount to a sa'. If you are certain that it is a sa' and you cook it and give it to the poor person or poor people, that is sufficient. But you may not be certain of its amount. Also, the recipient does not use it for anything other than eating, but if you gave him a sa' uncooked, he can dispose of it by selling it or using it for his needs more than he can with the cooked food.
A131: Your action is valid, because it falls under the category of charity, whether you give it cooked or uncooked. However, giving it uncooked is better. First, because that is what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded: you give a sa' of food to the needy as zakat al-fitr, and he specified it by the sa'. Also, the cooked food may not amount to a sa'. If you are certain that it is a sa' and you cook it and give it to the poor person or poor people, that is sufficient. But you may not be certain of its amount. Also, the recipient does not use it for anything other than eating, but if you gave him a sa' uncooked, he can dispose of it by selling it or using it for his needs more than he can with the cooked food.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.