Tafsir of An-Naba' 78:8

"And We created you" is a conjunction connected to the negative present tense preceded by lam (did not), thus falling under its ruling. It is effectively equivalent to either saying "And We have made..." or it is predicated on what the interrogative-affirmative denial necessitates, for it is effectively equivalent to saying "We have indeed made..."

The shift to the second-person address here—based on the well-known reading of "they will come to know"—is for the purpose of intensified compulsion and reproach.

"In pairs" (azwajan): Al-Zajjaj and others said it means paired as male and female, so that procreation may be facilitated and the affairs of livelihood may be ordered. It has been said that it means types, in color, form, and language.

It has also been said: It is permissible that what is meant by "creating in pairs" is creation from two fluids—the semen of the man and the semen of the woman. The meaning would be: "We created each one of you as pairs," in consideration of your substance, which is composed of two fluids. Thus, "We created you in pairs" would be of the category of matching a plural with a plural and distributing individuals to individuals. However, this is highly contrary to the apparent meaning, and there is no necessity for it.