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

Question:
A questioner asks, saying: My father pays zakat al-fitr in money, and I advise him, but he says the poor person benefits more from money. So, is it obligatory for me to pay the zakah on my own behalf, or not?

Answer:
It is obligatory for the Muslim to pay what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded.
And he does not pay anything that contradicts what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded. The Messenger commanded the payment of food, and its measure is by the sa' of dates, and he did not say "or such and such amount of dirhams, ten dirhams or five dirhams." Did the Messenger say this?
So if a person wants to follow his own desire, he may do what he wants for himself. But if he wants to follow the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), let him implement what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded. And if your father is insistent on paying the value, do not obey him; pay from the food that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded on your own behalf. Yes.