The type and kind of zakat al-fitr and the evidence for it.

The Shaykh : Second, what type of wealth is this zakat? The answer is that it is food, based on the statement of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): These are four categories, which were the abundant food in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Although wheat may have been found, it was scarce. It is obligatory to give it in the form of food. The type of food varies according to the time and the place. A certain type may be food at one time but not another, or in one place but not another. For example, barley in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was food for humans, which they ate, but in our time today it is not food that is eaten except in cases of dire necessity or pressing need. In the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), rice did not exist, but in our time today, rice is food, indeed it is among the mid-grade foods for people. Therefore, the type of food to be given should be from the food of humans.