They are living in the west and do not know about any poor people –can they send their zakaat al-fitr to another country?

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was
asked: Many of the poor nowadays say that they prefer to receive zakaat
al-fitr in the form of cash instead of food, because it is more useful to
them. Is it permissible to give zakaat al-fitr in the form of cash? 

He replied: 

What we think is that it is not permissible to give zakaat
al-fitr in the form of cash under any circumstances, rather it must be given
in the form of food. If the poor man wants to sell the food and make use of
its price, he may do so, but the one who is giving this zakaah has to give
it in the form of food. It does not matter if it is the kinds of food that
were known at the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) or is a kind of food that is known nowadays. Rice
nowadays may be more beneficial than wheat, because with rice one does not
need to go to the effort of grinding it and making dough, and so on. The
purpose is to benefit the poor. It was narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari
that Abu Sa’eed (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: At the time of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) we used
to give (as zakaat al-fitr) a saa’ of foodstuff, and our food at that time
was dates, barley, raisins and dried yogurt. So if a person gives it in the
form of food, he should choose a food that will most beneficial to the poor;
this will vary from one time and place to another. 

With regard to giving it in the form of cash, clothing,
furnishings or tools, this is not sufficient and does not discharge the
obligation, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Whoever does an action that is not part of this matter of ours
will have it rejected.”  

End quote. Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 18/question
no. 191. 

Based on this, if this
person is trustworthy then you can stipulate that he has to give it all in
the form of food. If he does not accept that, then you should give whatever
you can to the poor of the land in which you are staying. Then there is
nothing wrong with sending the rest of the zakaah to another country. It is
not essential for it to be sent to your country of origin, rather if you
send it to wherever the need and poverty is greatest, or to relatives, that
will be better. 

In the answer to question no.
43146 we stated that there is
nothing wrong with sending zakaah to another country when there is a need,
such as sending it to a land where there are relatives of the donor, or to a
land where the need is greater. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked: Can a person living in the
west give zakaat al-fitr on behalf of his family, knowing that they have
given it on behalf of themselves? 

He replied: zakaat al-fitr – which is a saa’ of food such as
rice, wheat, dates or other foodstuffs, is something which each person
should give on behalf of himself, as is the case with other obligatory
duties, because Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
enjoined sadaqat al-fitr upon the Muslims, free and slave, male and female,
young and old, and he enjoined that it be given before the people go out to
the prayer. 

If the members of a
household have given it on behalf of themselves, there is no need for a man
who is away from his family to give it on their behalf. Rather he should
give it on behalf of himself only, in the place where he is staying, if
there are Muslims there who are entitled to this charity. If there is no one
there who is entitled to it, then he should delegate his family to give it
on his behalf in his homeland. And Allaah is the Source of strength. 

End quote. Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 18/question
no. 771 

He was also asked: What is the ruling on sending zakaat
al-fitr to distant countries on the grounds that there are many poor people
there? 

He replied: 

There is nothing wrong
with sending zakaat al-fitr to another country on the grounds that there are
no poor people in one’s own country. But if that is done even though there
are poor people who need it in one’s own country, then it is not
permissible. 

End quote. Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 18/question
no. 102 

There follows a fatwa from the scholars of the Standing
Committee which deals wwith these matters and more: 

The amount of zakaat al-fitr is one saa’ of dates, barley,
raisins, dried yogurt or other foodstuff, and it should be given on the
night before Eid, until before the Eid prayer. It is also permissible to
give it two or three days in advance. It should be given to the poor Muslims
in the land where it is given, but it is permissible to send it to the poor
in another land if the need is greater. It is permissible for the imam of
the mosque and other trustworthy people to collect it and distribute it to
the poor, so long as they make sure it reaches them before the Eid prayer.
It is not connected to inflation, rather the amount is set in sharee’ah as
one saa’. Whoever does not have anything but food for the day of Eid for
himself and for those on whom he is obliged to spend, does not have to give
zakaat al-fitr. It is not permissible to use it for building mosques or
other charitable projects. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah,
9/369, 370. 

We have already quoted
the fatwas of scholars which state that zakaat al-fitr is obligatory, how
much is to be given, that it is not permissible to give it in cash, and that
it is permissible to send it to countries where the need is greater, in the
answers to the following questions: 22888,
27016,
7175 and
12938.