Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:96

It is placed beforehand and is in the accusative case as a state (ḥāl). Because it is originally a verbal noun (maṣdar), and since a verbal noun can refer to both the singular and the plural, it is permissible for the plural to be described by it, albeit remotely. It is also permitted that darajāt be a substitute (badal) for ajran (a reward), acting as a "substitute of the whole" (badal al-kull), structured according to the quantity of the superiority. It may also be a state (ḥāl), meaning "possessors of degrees," or it may occupy the place of an adverbial of place (ẓarf), meaning "in degrees."

His saying—the Almighty—minhu (from Him) is linked to an omitted element acting as an adjective for darajāt, indicating their grandeur and high status. ‘Abd ibn Ḥumayd recorded from Ibn Muḥayriz that he said: "They are seventy degrees; between each two degrees is the [distance of] a galloping, lean-fleshed horse running for seventy years."

Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Nasā’ī recorded from Abū Sa‘īd that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Whoever is pleased with Allah as Lord, Islam as a religion, and Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as a Messenger, Paradise becomes mandatory for him." Abū Sa‘īd was astonished by this and said: "Repeat it for me, O Messenger of Allah." He repeated it for him, then the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "And another [matter] by which Allah, the Exalted, raises the servant a hundred degrees in Paradise; the distance between each two degrees is like that between the heaven and the earth." He asked: "What is it, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "Jihād in the cause of the Exalted." Al-Suddī stated that they are seven hundred degrees. It is also permissible for darajāt to be in the accusative as a verbal noun, as in your saying, "I struck him sawṭan" (a striking), as if it were said: "He favored them with [specific] favors." The plural of paucity here stands in place of the plural of multitude; others say it is used in its literal sense.

The intent behind these "degrees" is what was mentioned in the Sūrah of Barā’ah: "It was not for the people of Medina and those around them of the Bedouins that they remain behind after the Messenger of Allah or prefer themselves over his self. That is because they are not afflicted by thirst or fatigue or hunger in the cause of Allah, nor do they tread any ground that enrages the disbelievers, nor do they inflict upon an enemy any infliction but that it is registered for them as a righteous deed," up to His saying: "That Allah may reward them [for] the best of what they were doing." This is attributed to ‘Abd Allāh ibn Zayd.

His saying—Exalted be His status—wa maghfiratan (and forgiveness) is conjoined to darajāt, which acts as a substitute for ajran. It is a "substitute of the part" (badal al-ba‘ḍ) because some of the reward is not categorized as forgiveness. It means: and [He grants] great forgiveness for the sins that may occur from them—sins that are not expiated by the rest of the good deeds performed by those who stay behind; thus, it is considered among their unique characteristics. His saying—the Almighty—wa raḥmatan (and mercy) is also conjoined to it, and it is a "substitute of the whole" for ajran. It is also possible that their accusative case is governed by an implied verb, meaning: "He forgave them a forgiveness and showed them mercy."

Since this is something from which the deprivation of those who stay behind might be imagined, the Almighty took care to dispel this with His saying: "And to all, Allah has promised the best." Then, the Glorious intended to interpret what the indefiniteness had indicated by way of ambiguity, such that the possibility of it being for unity is negated. So He said what He said, closing the door of conjecture.

The aspects of ambiguity and subsequent interpretation via conjunction are evident. As for what has been said—that the degree is singular first because the intent is the favor of each individual Mujāhid, and plural second because the intent is the favor of the group—then in "degrees," there is a correspondence of the group to the group. Thus, for every Mujāhid, there is a degree, and the outcome of the two expressions is the same; the difference is a stylistic variation in the spoken word, not in the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ).

Others suggest the difference is essential between the two favors and between the "degree" and "degrees." Al-Rāghib desired this, and al-Ṭībī found it agreeable, provided that the first favor refers to what Allah has granted them immediately in this world—spoils, victory, and beautiful, true renown—being a single degree; and the second favor refers to what the Almighty has stored for them of high degrees and exalted stations that transcend enumeration. This is indicated by the precedence of the first and the delay of the second, with the promise of Paradise inserted between them. As if it were said: "He favored them in the world with one degree, and in the Hereafter with countless degrees," and He placed between them in mention what is between them in existence—namely, the promise of Paradise—to clarify their state and hasten to console those being favored. This is how the learned Shaykh al-Islām structured it.

Others say the first favor is the good pleasure of Allah and His spiritual delight, and the second is the sensory delight of Paradise. The objection here is that the conjunction of forgiveness and mercy makes this specialization unlikely. It is also said that the first Mujāhidīn are those who fought the disbelievers, and the second are those who fought their own souls, and they were granted an increase in reward due to their greater merit, as indicated by his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "We have returned from the lesser jihād to the greater jihād." The objection here is that the context and the reason for revelation reject this, and the ḥadīth mentioned has no basis, as the scholars of ḥadīth have stated.

It is also said that the "those who stay behind" in the first instance are the disabled, and in the second, others, as Ibn Jurayj said and Ibn Jarīr recorded from him. This, however, involves a dismantling of the [cohesive] structure that is quite evident.

It remains that the verse does not explicitly rule on the status of those with valid excuses, based on the interpretation accepted by us. Yes, there are some ḥadīths that suggest their equality with the Mujāhidīn. It is authentic from the ḥadīth of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) returned from the battle of Tabūk and approached Medina, he said: "In Medina are people; you have not traveled a journey, nor crossed a valley, but they were with you in it." They asked: "O Messenger of Allah, even though they are in Medina?" He said: "Yes, even though they are in Medina; they were held back by a valid excuse." There is evidence in this for the concept of the "exclusion of the attribute" and the exception [made] for those who are not disabled. Al-Zajjāj said: "Except for those with valid excuses, they are equal to the Mujāhidīn." Some said this equality is conditional upon another requirement besides the excuse, mentioned in His saying: "There is no blame upon the weak or the sick..." up to His saying: "If they are sincere to Allah and His Messenger."

What is supported by transmission and reason is that those with valid excuses are superior to others by one degree, just as they are below the Mujāhidīn in the worldly degree. As for them being equal to them in the degree of the Hereafter, there is no certainty in that. The verse, according to what Ibn Jurayj said, indicates that they are below them in that regard as well.

Ibn al-Mundhir recorded via Thābit from ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā that Ibn Umm Maktūm used to go out to battle after the revelation of the verse, saying: "Give me the banner and stand me between the ranks, for I shall not flee." Ibn Manṣūr recorded from Anas ibn Mālik that he said: "I saw Ibn Umm Maktūm after that in some of the Muslims' encounters, and he had the banner with him." It is understood from the negation of equality in the beginning of the verse—which implies the superiority explicitly stated later between the one who struggles with wealth and soul and the one who stays behind—that there is a negation of equality between the one who struggles with one of them [wealth or soul] and the one who stays behind. The possibility that the verse intends to negate equality between the one who stays behind from Jihād with wealth and soul, and the one who struggles with them, is very remote.

Some have argued from this verse, as Ibn al-Ghirr said, for the superiority of wealth over poverty, based on the fact that the Almighty favored the one who struggles with his wealth over the one who struggles without it. There is no doubt that the additional degree of merit for the one who struggles with his wealth is solely from the aspect of wealth. They also used it to argue for the superiority of the one who struggles with his own wealth over the one who struggles with wealth given to him from the state treasury (dīwān) or similar sources.

“And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful”—a supplementary conclusion confirming what the Almighty had previously promised.