“So Pharaoh sent mustering agents into the cities: (53) ‘These are indeed but a small band; (54) they have surely enraged us; (55) and we are all on our guard.’ (56) So We drove them out of gardens and springs, (57) treasures, and noble stations.” (58)

“So Pharaoh sent mustering agents into the cities,” to gather the people—meaning, the police officers—to assemble the magicians. It was also said: to assemble the army for him. Some related that he had one thousand cities and twelve thousand villages. He said to them, “These are indeed but a small band,” that is, a small group. A small band is a limited number of people; its plural is small bands. The exegetes said: the band whom Pharaoh portrayed as few numbered six hundred thousand. Ibn Mas‘ud related that they were six hundred and seventy thousand, while the number of Pharaoh’s followers cannot be counted. (1)

“They have surely enraged us.” It is said that someone has been angered when he has been made angry; wrath and anger are one and the same. That is, they angered us by opposing our religion, killing our firstborn, taking away the wealth that they had borrowed, and leaving our land without our permission.

“And we are all on our guard.” The scholars of Hijaz and Basra recited ḥadhirūn and farihīn without a long a, while the others recited ḥādhirūn and fārihīn with a long a in both; both are accepted dialectal forms. The exegetes said that ḥādhirūn means well-equipped and strong: possessing arms and power, prepared and bearing weapons. (2) The meaning of ḥadhirūn is that they feared their harm. Al-Zajjaj said: “Ḥādhir is one who is prepared, whereas ḥadhir is one who is alert.” Al-Farra’ said: “Ḥādhir is one who is presently wary of you, whereas ḥadhir is one who inspires fear.” Likewise, you encounter him only alert. Caution means avoiding something out of fear of it.

“So We drove them out of gardens”—the account relates that the orchards stretched along both banks of the Nile—“and springs,” that is, flowing rivers; “and treasures,” meaning visible wealth of gold and silver. Mujahid said: They were called treasures because Allah’s due was not given from them; whatever of Allah’s due is not given is a treasure, even if it is openly displayed. It was said that Pharaoh had eight hundred thousand young men, each mounted on a noble horse, with a collar of gold around the neck of every horse. “And noble stations,” that is, fine places of assembly. The exegetes said that this refers to the assemblies of commanders and leaders, around whom their followers would gather. Mujahid and Sa‘id