Expiation in the form of uncooked food

Question:
The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If a person who is obligated to pay the expiation for breaking an oath gives five sa' to each of ten mosques, with each mosque receiving half a sa' of barley or wheat according to the school of jurisprudence, is that sufficient according to the correct opinion of the scholars, or is it necessary to provide cooked food for lunch or dinner?

Answer:
No, it is the other way around. The disagreement is only regarding providing cooked food; that is where the difference of opinion lies. As for providing uncooked food, there is no disagreement that it is sufficient. So if he gives barley, rice, wheat, or dates to ten poor people, with each person receiving half a sa', there is no disagreement that this is sufficient. The disagreement is over providing cooked food. The school of jurisprudence holds that it is not sufficient, while the choice of Shaykh Taqi al-Din and others is that it is sufficient, as it qualifies as feeding. However, the former group argues that cooked food can only be utilized by eating it, unlike uncooked food, which can be handled as one wishes: one can gift it, sell it and take the price, eat it, or delay its use. One might not need food now; perhaps today they will eat it, or they can delay it. But if it were cooked, he could not delay it; it would spoil. Unlike uncooked food, which can be postponed for days and utilized in various ways.