Is the monetary value sufficient for zakat al-fitr if the poor person sells it for less?

The questioner : He says: We, praise be to Allah, give zakat al-fitr according to the Sunnah, but there are poor people who take the rice and then immediately sell it to merchants for less than the price. So the merchants here are the ones benefiting. Is the monetary value sufficient in such cases? And is the monetary value sufficient for one in dire necessity?

The Shaykh : The monetary value is not sufficient in this case. If you do what Allah has made obligatory upon you and give the poor person the fitrah, it is his property; he may dispose of it as he wishes. He may sell it now, or delay selling it later, or give it in charity, or gift it to a friend. It is his property. Or he may sell it for less than its price; it is his property. If you have performed what Allah has made obligatory upon you of a sa' of food, then the poor person is free with it and you have no concern. As for his statement in the question about being forced to give the monetary value, I do not know how one is forced to give the monetary value. If the questioner has a situation in which he is forced to give the monetary value, let him clarify it for us so that we may look into it.

The presenter : May Allah reward you.