The Type and Amount of Zakat al-Fitr

Question:
To whom is it paid, our Shaykh?

Answer:
As for the remainder of the first question, which is the type from which you pay zakat al-fitr, zakat al-fitr is paid from the customary staple food of the land. This is why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified different types, because the staple foods of different lands vary. He said: "A sa' of what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) made obligatory as charity or a sa' of raisins or a sa' of dried curds." This variation is due to the difference in people's staple foods, so one pays it from the predominant staple food of the land.
If they subsist on these five types, one pays from them. If they subsist on others, such as rice, corn, sorghum, or other grains, one pays from the staple food of the land. This is the type from which zakat al-fitr is paid, and it must be from the staple food of the land.
It is not permissible to pay the monetary value, because this contradicts the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), as he commanded that it be paid from food. Also, the poor are in need of food on this day. As for money, they may not find what to buy with it on this day, because shops are generally or mostly closed, so they will not find it. Even if they had the money, they would not find the staple food to buy on this day. So, one gives them ready-to-eat food?
As for the amount of zakat al-fitr, it is as stated in the authentic hadith: a sa' by the Prophetic sa', which is four mudds. This is its amount: a sa' of wheat, or a sa' of barley, or a sa' of dates, or a sa' of raisins, or a sa' of dried curds. [Muttering]. May Allah reward you. If there are other types of food, we have clarified that the intention is a sa' of the customary staple food of the land. If the land subsists on types other than these five, one pays from them, such as rice, corn, sorghum, and whatever else the people of the land subsist on. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh