The intention of fasting for the expiation is a condition for each night, due to the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: "There is no fasting for the one who has not intended the fast from the night." If multiple expiations of the same type fall upon him, it is not mandatory to specify their cause. This is the opinion of al-Shafi'i, Abu Thawr, and the People of Opinion (Ashab al-Ra'y), and we do not know of any dissenter regarding this. Based on this, if he had Zihar from four wives and emancipated a slave for his Zihar, it counts as expiation for one of them, and one of them becomes lawful to him, without specification, because it is an obligation of a single type, so an absolute intention suffices, just as if he owed the fasting of two days from Ramadan. The analogy (qiyas) of the school is that he should draw lots among them, so that the one among them who is made lawful is determined by the drawing of lots, and this is the opinion of Abu Thawr. Al-Shafi'i said: He has the right to assign it to whichever of them he wishes, and she becomes lawful. This leads to him being able to choose between this woman being lawful to him or prohibited to him. If the Zihar was from three women and he emancipated a slave for one of them, then fasted two consecutive months for another, then became ill and fed sixty poor persons for the third, it suffices him, and all of them become lawful to him without drawing lots or specification. This is the opinion of al-Shafi'i and the People of Opinion. Abu Thawr said: He draws lots among them; whoever the lot falls to, the emancipation is for her; then he draws lots between the remaining two, and whoever the lot falls to, the fasting is for her, and the feeding is for the third, because if each of these individual acts were alone, they would require a drawing of lots, so likewise when they are combined. Our argument is that the expiation has been achieved for the three, and the prohibition of Zihar has ceased, so it does not require a drawing of lots, just as if he had emancipated three slaves for their Zihar all at once. As for if the expiation is of different types, such as Zihar, killing, sexual intercourse during Ramadan, and an oath, Abu al-Khattab said: It does not require specification of the cause. This is the school of al-Shafi'i because it is an obligatory act of worship, so its validity does not depend on specifying its cause, just as if it were of a single type. Al-Qadi said: It is possible that it is required to specify its cause, and it is not valid with an absolute intention, and the companions of