Is it permissible to give the expiatory payment (fidya) for delaying the make-up of Ramadan fasts to a sanitation worker or to a person whose poverty is not known from his wealth, and how can one distinguish between the poor and the rich? Is it permissible to give the expiatory payment for several days to one person, and is it permissible to give money instead of food to the poor?

It is impermissible to give zakat except to those whose eligibility due to poverty or destitution is known. If their condition is unknown and no signs of need are apparent, then it is impermissible to give them unless they claim poverty and there is nothing to contradict that. If the apparent condition of a worker indicates need, it is permissible to give to them, and one who refrains from begging is more deserving of charity than a beggar. It is permissible to give the expiation for missed fasts to a single indigent person all at once, but it is better to give the expiation for each day to a separate indigent person to avoid scholarly disagreement.