خَمْسُ سَحَائِبَ
“Five clouds.”
In the poetic description, the benefactor's five fingers are pictured as rain-clouds. Clouds pour rain; the generous hand dispenses gifts. The number “five” guides the listener toward fingers rather than literal weather clouds.
Thus a numeral can function as a contextual clue alongside the borrowed cloud-image and the surrounding praise. The intended meaning emerges through their combined effect. A metaphor's indicator need not always be a verb or a direct negation of the literal sense; it may be numerical or situational.