Is it permissible to pay zakat al-fitr in cash?

Question:
May Allah reward you. This is a message that came from one of the brothers. The sender is Umm 'Abd al-'Aziz. She asks: What is the ruling on paying zakat al-fitr for each person in the amount of [number] riyals, and giving it in cash to orphans and the poor, rather than as food?

Answer:
This is not sufficient, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly specified food and defined its amount, which is a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) for each person. Dirhams existed during his time (peace and blessings be upon him), yet he did not order the payment of currency; rather, he ordered the payment of food: 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. He (peace and blessings be upon him) specified these and made them types of food. Is it permissible to deviate from what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly stated and make it dirhams or their value? Even if some scholars said so, it is an error; because there is no independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) in the presence of an explicit text. Yes.