—with one of its attributes.

Explanation
We have learned that when the early scholars explain a word with one meaning while others among them explain it with another—because the description actually covers both—this is classified as ikhtilāf tanawwuʿ (a difference of variety). Take the verse, “Guide us to the Straight Path” (Q 1:6): in Arabic, ṣirāṭ means a broad road, yet what is intended by “the Straight Path” has been explained in two ways. One view is that it refers to Islam; a second is that it refers to the Qur’an. The author has produced prophetic evidence for both explanations, and there is no contradiction whatsoever, for Islam consists of what is contained in the Qur’an. Hence, whether it is said to be the Qur’an or Islam, the meanings do not clash. Clearly this is a difference of variety, not of opposition, because each explanation in no way negates the other.

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The second category: each scholar may mention one species included under a general term merely as an illustration, thereby alerting the listener to the type intended, not as an all-encompassing definition that matches the term in every general and specific aspect. For instance, if a non-Arabic speaker asked about the meaning of the word khubz (bread), you could show him a loaf and say, “This.” The gesture points to the kind of thing meant, not to that one loaf alone.

Explanation
Suppose a foreigner asked, “What is bread?” and you replied, “Bread is a flat round made of wheat that has been ground, mixed with water, and kneaded.” He still would not know what bread is. But if you had a piece of bread in your hand and said to him, “This,” he would not imagine that no other bread exists in the world except the piece you are holding; rather, he would understand that you are giving him an example. For this reason, if he