Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:113

"And the sorcerers came to Pharaoh" (after he had sent the gatherers to them). The fact that this [the sending] was not explicitly stated is to signify the swiftness with which Pharaoh sent them, and the promptness with which the gatherers and the sorcerers complied.

There is a difference of opinion regarding their number: Ka’b said they were twelve thousand; Ibn Ishaq said fifteen thousand; Abu Thumamah said seventeen thousand (and in one narration, nineteen thousand); al-Suddi said thirty-something thousand; Abu Bazzah said seventy thousand; and Muhammad bin Ka’b said eighty thousand. Abu al-Shaykh extracted from Ibn Jarir that he said: The sorcerers were three hundred from his own people, three hundred from al-Arish, and there is doubt regarding three hundred from Alexandria. From Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—it is narrated that they were seventy sorcerers, and they had learned magic from two Magian men from the people of Nineveh, the city of Yunus, peace be upon him. Similar reports were narrated from al-Kalbi, but the apparent [truth] is its lack of authenticity, because Magianism—according to the well-known view—appeared during the time of Zoroaster, who came only after Musa, peace be upon him.

As for the name of their leader, Muqatil said: Sham'un. Ibn Jurayj said: It is Hanna. Ibn al-Jawzi, quoting historians, said that their leaders were Sabur, Azur, Hat-hat, and Musaffa.

"{They said}": This is an explanatory resumption (isti’naf bayani), which is why it is not connected by a conjunction, as if it were said: "What did they say to him when they arrived?" and thus it was said: "They said..." This is more appropriate than saying it is a state (hal) of the subject of "they came"—i.e., "they came saying."

"{Is there indeed for us a reward}": That is, a compensation and a great recompense.

"{...if we are the victors?}"

The objective of the statement is to necessitate and stipulate the reward, as if they had said: "On the condition that you grant us a reward if we are victorious." It is also possible that the speech is based on the omission of an interrogative particle, which is common. This is supported by the fact that Ibn Amir and others recited it as “A-inna” (Is there indeed...), with the affirmation of the hamza. Harmonizing the two recitations is better than opposing them, and hence al-Wahidi preferred this possibility. The mention of the condition is merely to determine the basis upon which the reward is established, not because they were hesitant about their victory. It is also said that the pronoun "we" (nahnu) and the embellishment of the predicate with the particle lam (la-ghalibun) are for the purpose of restriction (qasr); meaning: "We will be the ones who are victorious, not Musa, peace be upon him."