Tafsir of Ash-Shu`ara' 26:2

(These are the verses of the Clear Book)

This is a demonstrative pronoun indicating the Surah. The meaning of distance contained within it serves to alert one to the elevated status of what is being pointed to in terms of magnificence. The "Book" refers to the Quran, and "the Clear" (al-Mubin) means that which manifests its own inimitability, based on the assumption that abana (to make clear) is used in the sense of bana (to become clear). The phrasing relies on the omission of a genitive construct (idafah), or the attribution is figurative.

It has been suggested that al-Mubin is derived from the transitive verb abana, with its object being omitted—meaning [it clarifies] the legal rulings or the Truth—but the first interpretation is more appropriate for the context. The meaning is: These verses are specifically extracted from the Quran, represented here under an independent title. The intent behind clarifying that they are a part of it is to describe them with the glorious attributes for which the whole is known.

It has also been said: The reference is to the Quran, and the feminine form [of the pronoun tilka] is used to match the predicate. In this view, the "Book" refers to the Surah. The meaning would be: "The verses of this Quran, which is composed of scattered letters, are like the verses of this Surah with which you are challenged; since you were unable to produce the like of this Surah, then [by extension] the judgment regarding those other verses is the same." This, as you can see, is [a far-fetched interpretation].

Some have interpreted "the Clear Book" as the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz), describing it as "clear" because it reveals the states of all things to the angels—peace be upon them. However, the first interpretation you heard is the most preferred.