What is permissible for the people of the desert to pay for Zakat al-Fitr?
Chapter on Zakat al-Fitr
Al-Mughni
Book of Zakat
Primary text
If the people of the desert pay dried yogurt (aqit), it is permissible provided it is their staple food. This also applies to anyone who cannot find the specifically mentioned items and has nothing else. There are two narrations regarding paying something else when the listed items are available: one opinion states it is permissible, based on the Hadith of Abu Sa'id which explicitly listed Sa' of aqit as a payment option. The other opinion prohibits paying something else if one is capable of paying the specifically mentioned items, likening it to paying meat when other items are available.
Supporting text
The second narration suggests the explicit mention of aqit applies only to those whose staple food is aqit or those who cannot find alternatives. The ruling of Al-Kharqi suggests that if one is capable of paying an alternative staple food, then paying aqit is permissible, as the Hadith did not differentiate based on the payer's location (city dweller or desert dweller). Abu Al-Khattab, in one narration, states that paying aqit is impermissible if one can pay something else.