LessonsThe Point of Resemblance: Actual and Imagined Likeness, Real and Relational AspectsQuiz

Two questions should be kept distinct: (1) Is the proposed likeness actual or imaginative? (2) Is the aspect essential, sensory, intellectual, or relational? One classification does not replace the other.

ComparisonRelevant aspect
Cheek and roseRedness: real sensory quality
Two scholarsKnowledge or understanding: intellectual quality
Stars and SunnahBright/dark pattern: imaginative correspondence
Proof and sunRemoving concealment: relational effect

Once the wording and its purpose are understood, the point of likeness ceases to be a mere category label and becomes an explanation of how the expression communicates its intended effect.

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Combining the two classifications

The Point of Resemblance: Actual and Imagined Likeness, Real and Relational Aspects

Two questions should be kept distinct: (1) Is the proposed likeness actual or imaginative? (2) Is the aspect essential, sensory, intellectual, or relational? One classification does not replace the other.

ComparisonRelevant aspect
Cheek and roseRedness: real sensory quality
Two scholarsKnowledge or understanding: intellectual quality
Stars and SunnahBright/dark pattern: imaginative correspondence
Proof and sunRemoving concealment: relational effect

Once the wording and its purpose are understood, the point of likeness ceases to be a mere category label and becomes an explanation of how the expression communicates its intended effect.