The point of resemblance may be a single property, such as whiteness or strength, or a composite configuration abstracted from several related elements. In an examination of representative simile (tashbīh tamthīl), merely counting nouns is not enough: the likeness must arise from the overall configuration of each side.
For example, the scattering and regrouping of a company can be compared with another complete picture in which dispersed elements gather around a central point. Here the shared likeness is a structured scene. Merely mentioning many things when the sole quality meant is “swift” or “bright” does not establish figurative simile.
State the shared configuration in one sentence, then determine whether it comes from a single property or the relationships within the whole scene.