This, then, is the position held by the majority of people. Reason itself testifies that accidental qualities—such as colors—resemble one another in that they are all colors, even though black is not the same as white. Likewise, in the judgment of most rational thinkers, bodies and substances resemble one another with respect to the mere designation “body” or “substance,” even though their underlying realities are not identical: the reality of water is not identical to that of earth; the reality of plants is not identical to that of animals; and the reality of fire is not identical to that of water, even though both are self-subsisting bodies and substances.

It is also well known in the language that one says, “This resembles that,” or “It bears a resemblance to that,” when the similarity pertains only to certain aspects, even though in essence the two differ.

Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“and they will be brought provisions that resemble one another” (Q 2:25).

He also says:
“It contains verses that are definite in meaning—they are the foundation of the Book—and others that are ambiguous. Those whose hearts are deviant pursue what is ambiguous in it, seeking discord and seeking its interpretation” (Q 3:7).

And He says:
“Those who do not know have said, ‘Why does Allah not speak to us, or why does a sign not come to us?’ Those before them said something similar; their hearts are alike” (Q 2:118).