In tamthīl (representational simile), the respect of resemblance is a configuration abstracted from several interacting elements. Having many words on each side is not the defining condition; the whole arrangement produces the likeness.
«كَأَنَّ مُثَارَ النَّقْعِ فَوْقَ رُءُوسِنَا وَأَسْيَافَنَا لَيْلٌ تَهَاوَى كَوَاكِبُهُ»
It is as though the dust stirred above our heads and our swords were a night whose stars were falling.
Dust, shining swords, darkness, and falling stars produce an integrated scene. Splitting it into “dust is night” and “swords are stars” misses the composite image.