Is it a condition for a miskin (needy person) to be an adult and of sound mind when giving the expiatory food mentioned in the noble verse: (fidyah [expiation] of feeding a miskin)? And do the children of the miskin and those he supports count in the number when feeding thirty miskin? And is it permissible to give money instead of food, and how is this feeding estimated?

The expiatory payment (fidyah) for fasting is obligatory for an elderly person and for a chronically ill person whose recovery is not expected. This involves feeding a poor person for each day missed. One should feed the poor person half a saa' (approximately 1.5 kg) of the staple food of the land. It is permissible for this feeding to include the poor person's children and wife if they do not have sufficient provision. It is not permissible to give the value of the food in money.