What is the ruling on one who contradicts something from the Quran, such as Allah’s saying: (Allah intends ease for you and does not intend hardship for you) by saying, "Religion is difficult"?

Not knowing the context in which the statement was made makes it an error to declare its speaker an unbeliever. Scholars have explicitly stated that one who utters an ambiguous statement should not be declared an unbeliever. The speaker might have intended that some religious obligations require striving and patience, but the Sharia is founded on ease and the removal of hardship. The presence of some difficulty in rulings does not mean that Allah intended to cause distress; rather, it is for the benefit of His servants. Such difficulties contain great religious and worldly benefits and increase the reward. If the matter exceeds mere difficulty to an unbearable extent, Allah grants ease and lifts the obligation, as He says: "Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity." And religion is ease compared to the religions that preceded it, which contained burdens.