I live in the South Asian countries, were organisations and 'mazars of pir', who usually give shelter to poor, devouted muslims, are quite famous. My question is: Can I give charity (not zakah) to these mazar, not with the intention of grave worship, but only that it would be used to feed the poor? Also, will my charity be accepted if they use the money otherwise, which I would be unaware of?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Among the evils with which the Muslim nation has been plagued are the exaggerated reverence for the pious and the allies of Allaah, the undue glorification of graves and shrines, seeking relief through the dead, and the like of the religious innovations and myths that contradict the beauty of Islam, the purity of Islamic monotheism, and the soundness of the Islamic creed; please refer to fataawa 4973, 9943 and 107184.

Most of the money raised to be given to such entities is spent on the followers of such charities and orders and those responsible for tending to such shrines and graves who organize the performance of religious innovations and serve the shaykhs of such orders.  Hence, it can be fairly said that such money is used in disobeying Allaah Almighty. If this is the case, then it is impermissible to donate money to such entities; Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means): {...And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression...} [Quran 5:2] If an action is deemed forbidden, then the good intention behind it does not rectify it, nor does it render it a good and acceptable deed.

However, if these organizations offer food to other poor and needy people without committing prohibitions like those mentioned above, then there is no harm in giving money to them in such case. It is better, though, to look for other organizations that are not based on evil practices, or you may offer food or money to the poor yourself.

We implore Allaah, The Exalted, to bless you with success and acceptance of your good deeds.

Allaah knows best.