قَالُوا إِنْ هَذَانِ لَسَاحِرَانِ
...
They said: "Verily, these are two (Hadhan) magicians..."
This is a way of speaking with some of the Arabs and this Ayah has been recited according to the grammar of their dialect.
There are also others who recite it as, (
إِنِّ هَذَانِ لَسَاحِرَان
) Which carries the same meaning, "Verily, these are two (Hadhayn) magicians."
This is the popular style of language in Arabic grammar. The grammarians have extensive discussions in reply to the first recitation and its grammatical explanation, but this is not the place for such a discussion.
The main point is that the magicians said among themselves,
"You all know that this man and his brother (Musa and Harun) are two knowledgeable magicians who are quite aware of the skill of magic. They want to defeat you and your people today and conquer the people, causing the masses to follow them. They want to fight against Fir`awn and his armies, and they are seeking victory over him. And their ultimate goal is to expel you from your land."
...
يُرِيدَانِ أَن يُخْرِجَاكُم مِّنْ أَرْضِكُم بِسِحْرِهِمَا
...
Their object is to drive you out from your land with magic,
Concerning Allah's statement,
...
وَيَذْهَبَا بِطَرِيقَتِكُمُ الْمُثْلَى
and to take you away from your exemplary way.
This means, `they want to expose this way (of yours) openly, which is magic.' For verily, they were considered great because of their magic. They had wealth and sustenance because of this magic. They were actually saying, "If these two (Musa and Harun) are victorious, they will destroy you and expel you from your land. In doing so, they will be the first individuals to do so, and they will be given great power of leadership without you."
Ibn Abbas mentioned concerning Allah's statement,
وَيَذْهَبَا بِطَرِيقَتِكُمُ الْمُثْلَى
(and to take you away from your exemplary way),
"This means their kingdom, which they were in, and their livelihood."
Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd said,
"This superior way means that which they were upon."