Al-A'raf 7:111

<div class="arabic uthmani">أَرْجِهْ</div><p>("Put him off"), means, "delay him (for a time)." </p><div class="arabic uthmani">وَأَرْسِلْ فِى الْمَدَآئِنِ</div><p>("and send to the cities"), areas and provinces of your kingdom -- O Fir`awn, </p><div class="arabic uthmani">حَـشِرِينَ</div><p>("to collect") to gather magicians from various lands. At this time, magic was the trade of the day and it was widespread and popular. They had the idea that what Musa brought was a type of magic similar to the magic that the sorcerers of their time practiced. Because of this incorrect assumption, they brought all the magicians in order to defeat the miracles that he showed them. Allah said about Fir`awn, </p><div class="arabic uthmani">فَلَنَأْتِيَنَّكَ بِسِحْرٍ مِّثْلِهِ فَاجْعَلْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكَ مَوْعِداً لاَّ نُخْلِفُهُ نَحْنُ وَلاَ أَنتَ مَكَاناً سُوًى </div><div class="arabic uthmani">قَالَ مَوْعِدُكُمْ يَوْمُ الزِّينَةِ وَأَن يُحْشَرَ النَّاسُ ضُحًى - فَتَوَلَّى فِرْعَوْنُ فَجَمَعَ كَيْدَهُ ثُمَّ أَتَى </div><p>(Then verily, we can produce magic the like thereof; so appoint a meeting between us and you, which neither we nor you shall fail to keep, in an open place where both shall have a just and equal chance." Musa said: "Your appointed meeting is the day of the festival, and let the people assemble when the sun has risen (forenoon)." So Fir`awn withdrew, …

They said (unto Pharaoh): Put him off (a while) - him and his brother - and send into the cities summoners,

They said: "Keep him and his brother in suspense (for a while); and send to the cities men to collect-

They said: "Put him and his brother off (for a time), and send callers (men) to the cities to collect (and) -

They said, “Put him off, and his brother, and send heralds to the cities.”