Permissibility of giving away the price of the food that should be fed to the needy

Q: Is it permissible to feed a Miskin (needy) by giving the value of food in cash? Will the giver be rewarded for this? Would it be sufficient for the giver to give the Miskin the value of one Sa` (1 Sa`=3 kg. Approx.) in cash? Would it then make the Kaffarah (expiation) in the form of food unnecessary, or is it necessary to achieve it in the form of one of the mentioned foodstuffs (dates, wheat, barley, or rice)? Please advise, may Allah reward you with the best!


A: If the feeding you are asking about is the obligation in the Kaffarah for Zhihar (a man likening his wife to an unmarriageable relative), sexual intercourse with one's wife during the daytime of Ramadan, a broken oath, or the Iftar (breaking the Fast) of an old man or woman during Ramadan due to them being unable to observe Sawm (Fast), the Kaffarh for all of these acts cannot be achieved except by feeding and it cannot be replaced with money. The same ruling applies for Zakat-ul-Fitr (obligatory charity paid before the Festival of Breaking the Fast) in Ramadan.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.


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