contradiction in the Qur’an regarding the degree of preference given to the mujahideen over those who sit

 Content of the doubt:

Some ill-intentioned people imagine that there is a contradiction in the words of God Almighty: “Not equal are those believers who sit (at home), other than those who have a disability, and those who strive and fight in the cause of God with their wealth and their lives. God has preferred those who strive with their wealth and their lives over those who sit (at home), by a degree. But to each God has promised goodness, but God has preferred those who strive and fight over those who sit (at home) with a great reward (95) degrees from Him and forgiveness and mercy. And ever is God Forgiving and Merciful (96)” (An-Nisa). They ask: How does the Qur’an state in the first verse that those who strive and fight are one degree superior to those who sit (at home), and in the second verse it explicitly states that those who strive and fight are superior to those who sit (at home) by degrees?! Their aim behind this is to say that the Qur’an is not from God as long as there is this contradiction in it.

The way to refute the doubt:
Allah has given preference to those who strive with their wealth and lives over those who sit back and are not harmed, while He - Glory be to Him - has given preference to those who strive over one another by degrees. Whoever attains all the degrees has attained a great degree - i.e., a status - and whoever attains some of them has attained a lower degree, so there is no contradiction between the two verses.

Details:
Allah has given preference to those who strive with their wealth and lives over those who sit back and are not harmed by a degree, while He - Glory be to Him - has given preference to those who strive over one another by degrees.
The correct understanding of the meaning of the two verses negates the suspicion of a contradiction between them. The meaning of the first verse is that it is not fair for those who strive and those who do not strive to be equal in worldly and otherworldly rewards. Those who strive with their wealth and lives in the way of Allah - the Mighty and Sublime - have a degree above those who do not strive with their wealth or lives. As for those who have legitimate excuses that prevent them from striving, they are not included in this preference. Because their excuses were like a license that lifted the hardship of jihad in the way of Allah like other healthy people.
What confirms this understanding is what Ibn Ashur mentioned in his interpretation of this verse; he says: The one who sits back from jihad is not equal to the mujahid in the virtue of supporting the religion nor in his reward for that, so it was necessary to expose those who sit back and make their situation ugly, and thus the place of the exception becomes clear in His saying: “except those who are disabled” (An-Nisa’: 95); so that those who are disabled do not think that they are targeted by the incitement and go out with the Muslims, and burden them with the burden of transporting and protecting them to no avail, or think that they are targeted by the exposure and their souls are broken because of that in addition to their brokenness due to their inability, and because in excluding them there is justice for them and an excuse that if they were able they would not have sat back.
This is confirmed by what was reported on the authority of Zayd ibn Thabit, who said: “The revelation came down to the Messenger of God while I was beside him, then it was lifted from him[1]and he said: Write, so I wrote - and Zayd was one of the scribes of the revelation -: ‘Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and those who strive in the cause of God with their wealth and their lives,’ and Ibn Umm Maktum was behind the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - and he said: O Messenger of God, if I could strive, I would strive, so in its place was revealed: ‘Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) except for those who are disabled and those who strive in the cause of God with their wealth and their lives’ (An-Nisa’: 95)”[2]. Ibn Umm Maktum understood the intended meaning of denying equality, so he thought that the insinuation included him and his likes, since he was one of those who sat; and because of this thought, he turned from guarding the position to explicit speech[3].
The meaning of the word “degree” by which God Almighty favored the mujahideen over those who sit back is the status, and it does not mean singularity, but rather it refers to the moral type. Ibn Ashour said: “The degree here is borrowed for the moral elevation as in the words of God Almighty: “And men have a degree over them, and God is Exalted in Might and Wise (228)” (Al-Baqarah). The elevation intended here is the elevation of virtue and the abundance of reward. “Degree” was used in the singular form, not singular for unity, because degree here is a moral type that has no singularity. Therefore, it was expressed again in the sentence that came after it - to emphasize it - in the plural form by saying: “Degrees from Him”: because the plural is stronger than the singular, and the tanween of “degree” is for glorification, and it is equal to the meaning of the plural in the words of God Almighty: “Degrees from Him” (An-Nisa’: 96) [4] .
Just as Allah the Almighty has given preference to the mujahideen over those who sit back and are not harmed in status, Allah has also given preference to some mujahideen over others in status - degrees - so everyone is rewarded according to his deeds, and therefore He the Almighty said: “Degrees from Him and forgiveness and mercy. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful (96)” (An-Nisa). Sheikh Al-Shaarawy comments on this verse, saying: Allah the Almighty has given those who are harmed a degree, and He has given the mujahideen in the way of Allah several degrees over those who sit back and are not harmed, and when we hear the word “degree” it is the status, and the status is not only sufficient for a comprehensive explanation of the meaning, but it is the status of protection.
But: Are those degrees for all mujahideen?!
Of course not; Because we must notice the difference between leaving the homeland and abandoning the family for jihad, and the process of jihad itself, as the process of jihad itself requires a strong faith, and therefore the truth came in a text in Surat At-Tawbah: “It is not for the people of Madinah and those around them of the bedouins to stay behind the Messenger of Allah or to desire themselves over him. That is because they suffer neither thirst nor fatigue nor hunger in the cause of Allah, nor do they tread any path that enrages the disbelievers, nor do they attain any objective against the enemy, but a good deed is recorded for them because Allah does not allow the reward of the righteous to perish (120). Nor do they spend a small amount or a large amount, nor do they cross a valley, but it is recorded for them that Allah may reward them with the best of what they used to do (121)” (At-Tawbah).
Here the truth explains that it is not right for the people of Madinah and the bedouins around them to stay behind from jihad with the Messenger of Allah, nor to be satisfied for themselves with ease and comfort while the Messenger of Allah - may Allah bless him and grant him peace - is in hardship and difficulty, so just as he went to fight, they should go; Because the reward is great, they do not suffer fatigue except that they have the reward of righteous deeds, nor do they suffer hunger except that they have the reward of righteous deeds, nor do they walk in a place that angers the disbelievers except that they have the reward of righteous deeds, nor do they gain from the enemy anything except that Allah writes it down for them as a righteous deed, so glory be to Him, He rewards with the best of what they used to do.
The scholars have limited these divine gifts to seven levels; one person gets all the levels, another is afflicted with thirst only and attains the degree of thirst, another is afflicted with fatigue [5] and takes the degree of fatigue, a third is afflicted with famine [6] , and a fourth has three levels. When we calculate these levels, we find:
1. Thirst.
2. Fatigue.
3. Hunger.
4. They do not tread a path that angers the disbelievers, meaning: they do not settle in a place where the Muslims can overpower them and maintain their authority over them.
5. Inflicting - tormenting - the enemy.
6. Small and large expenses.
7. Crossing any valley for the sake of Allah.
These are the seven degrees for which Allah rewards their owners with something better than what they did, as explained by the scholars. Whoever attains the seven degrees has attained a great status, and each mujahid is according to what he has given [7] .

Conclusion:
There is no contradiction between the two verses, as claimed by the proponents of this doubt. The first verse confirms Allah’s preference, glory be to Him, for the mujahidin who strive with their wealth and their souls over those who sit without excuses, by a degree, i.e. a great status, while the second verse confirms Allah’s preference, glory be to Him, for the mujahidin over one another by degrees, each according to his effort.
The scholars limited the divine gifts mentioned in verses 120 and 121 of Surat At-Tawbah to seven degrees, all of which may be attained or some of which may be attained according to what the mujahid does. These seven degrees are some of Allah’s gifts to the mujahidin, as it was reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that the mujahidin in Paradise have one hundred degrees, and the distance between each of them is like the distance between the heavens and the earth. All of this virtue is due to the greatness of what the mujahid does in the way of Allah.

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[1] It was narrated from him: He lost his worries.
[2] It was narrated by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih, Book of Jihad and Expeditions, Chapter on the statement of Allah the Almighty: “Not equal are those believers who sit (at home), except those who are disabled.” (An-Nisa’: 95) (2677), and in another place.
[3] At-Tahrir wa’t-Tanwir, Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur, Dar Sahnun for Publishing and Distribution, Tunis, n.d., vol. 3, p. 170.
[4] At-Tahrir wa’t-Tanwir, Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur, Dar Sahnun for Publishing and Distribution, Tunis, n.d., pp. 171, 172.
[5] Nasb: fatigue.
[6] Mukhmasa: severe hunger.
[7] At-Tahrir wa’t-Tanwir, Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur, Dar Sahnun for Publishing and Distribution, Tunis, n.d., pp. 171, 172.