Can money be donated instead of food for Sadaqah Fitr?

Question

Q: Can money be donated instead of food for Sadaqah Fitr?

I already read this answer: https://islam.stackexchange.com/a/9081/23055 and this fatwa: https://islamqa.info/en/22888 both of which favor the view that it isn't and only food must be donated, however I've heard otherwise from elsewhere (its also terribly inconvenient).

I'm interested in the comparative ruling of the schools of thought on this, especially the the four Sunni mazhabs and the Shia mazhabs, but please mention clearly the school which the answer belongs to.

Answer 1

According to Hanafi school of thought, it is good to pay the price of amount of Food of Sadqah Fitr.

In an authoritative Fiqh book of Hanafi Fiqh, Fatawa Shami it is stated that:

وَدَفْعُ الْقِيمَةِ أَيْ الدَّرَاهِمِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ دَفْعِ الْعَيْنِ

Translation: And giving the price is better than giving actual (food).

In another Hanafi Fatwa Book named Fatawa Hindiyya also called as Fatawa Alamagiri it is also stated as:

وَذَكَرَ فِي الْفَتَاوَى أَنَّ أَدَاءَ الْقِيمَةِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عَيْنِ الْمَنْصُوصِ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَيْهِ الْفَتْوَى

Translation:

And this is stated in (different) Fatawas that giving the price is better than giving what is told of in narrations and the Fatwa is given on this statement.

It is also rational as to give the price equal to amount of food because if so many people give food items to a single poor person, then how can he manage to consume all these at the same time. And if the price is given, he can utilize it according to his needs.