Ruling on Giving Zakat al-Fitr in Cash
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Why is it not permissible to give Zakat al-Fitr in coins, i.e.: Dirhams?
It is not permissible to give Zakat al-Fitr except in food.Due to the statement of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made Zakat al-Fitr obligatory as a sa' of dates or a sa' of barley), so he specified it.And Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: (We used to give it in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as a sa' of food).
And because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it obligatory as a sa' of food: dates or barley or raisins or dried date syrup, and these four are generally different in value.Meaning: It is very rare for a sa' of dates to be equal in value to a sa' of barley, or to a sa' of raisins, or to a sa' of dried date syrup. The Prophet (may Allah's prayer and peace be upon him) made it obligatory as a sa' of food, and food varies in value. This indicates that it is not permissible to give it in its value.
But suppose we are in a country where they do not accept anything but dirhams,He says: Take the food and sell it. If they refuse, we will transfer it to another country.
Why is it not permissible to give Zakat al-Fitr in coins, i.e.: Dirhams?
It is not permissible to give Zakat al-Fitr except in food.Due to the statement of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made Zakat al-Fitr obligatory as a sa' of dates or a sa' of barley), so he specified it.And Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: (We used to give it in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as a sa' of food).
And because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it obligatory as a sa' of food: dates or barley or raisins or dried date syrup, and these four are generally different in value.Meaning: It is very rare for a sa' of dates to be equal in value to a sa' of barley, or to a sa' of raisins, or to a sa' of dried date syrup. The Prophet (may Allah's prayer and peace be upon him) made it obligatory as a sa' of food, and food varies in value. This indicates that it is not permissible to give it in its value.
But suppose we are in a country where they do not accept anything but dirhams,He says: Take the food and sell it. If they refuse, we will transfer it to another country.