The ruling on paying zakat al-fitr in cash

The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. The listener, Qa'id Ghalib 'Abd al-Salam, sent a question saying: I know that zakah is not permissible in money, and I sent a message to my father informing him of this, but he did not pay anything except money. So, is the zakah dropped from us, or is it still a debt upon us? May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh:
What do you mean by zakah?

The questioner:
Do not forget, may Allah preserve you.

The Shaykh:
If you mean zakat al-fitr, then zakat al-fitr must be from food.
Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered its payment from food, and he specified the amount as a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg), which indicates that it is obligatory from food, and paying the value is not sufficient; because it is contrary to the explicit text, and the obligatory thing is to adhere to the text, which is paying food for the fitrah. from dried dates or what takes the place of these five categories of staple foods customary in the country. This is what is prescribed, and its payment is made on the day of the festival before the prayer, or on the night of the festival. There is no harm in paying it one or two days before the festival. This is the time for payment, and it must be from food. As for the value, it is not sufficient because it is contrary to the text. Yes.