and Jesus—to establish the religion and not be divided therein.”

For this reason, the religion of the prophets was one, even though their revealed laws differed. Allah Most High says:

“And ask those of Our messengers whom We sent before you: Have We appointed besides the Most Merciful any gods to be worshipped?”

Allah Most High also says:

“And We sent no messenger before you except that We revealed to him: There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.”

And He says:

“We certainly sent a messenger to every nation, saying: Worship Allah and shun false gods.”

And He says:

“I did not create jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”

And He says:

“O mankind, worship your Lord.”

As for the second kind of intention, it distinguishes the various types of worship and categories of prescribed observances. It distinguishes someone performing prayer from someone performing Hajj or fasting; someone performing the noon prayer and fasting to make up missed days of Ramadan from someone performing the afternoon prayer and fasting some days of Shawwāl; and someone giving charity as zakat on his wealth from someone giving it to fulfil a binding vow or as an expiation.

The forms of worship are among the matters in which revealed laws differ, for religion cannot subsist without revealed law: the deeds of the heart are not complete without the deeds of the body, just as the soul cannot subsist without the body—I mean, so long as it is in this world. Likewise, the meanings conveyed in speech are not fully expressed without words, and speech is constituted by words and meaning together, even though meaning does not differ from one nation to another, while the wording