Must the wife accept alternatives to bread, such as money, grain, or flour, if she requests them instead of bread?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Maintenance (Nafaqāt)
Primary text
If the wife requests money, grain, flour, or anything else instead of bread, the husband is not obligated to provide it. Likewise, if an alternative to the obligatory item (bread) is offered to her, she is not obligated to accept it because any exchange is a contract (Mu'awadah), and neither party can be forced to accept it, similar to a sale.
Supporting text
If both parties agree upon substituting bread with money, grain, flour, or something else, it is permissible. This is because the food became an obligation upon the individual for a specific person, allowing for an exchange, unlike the food in expiation, which is a right of God, not a specific individual, thus precluding a voluntary substitution.