The governing principle of this chapter is the distinction between a fixed ending and syntactic case position. An indeclinable form can keep its vowel while occupying a different grammatical slot.
Book example: مِنْ قَبْلُ.
From before.
Qablu: fixed ḍamma, syntactically genitive after min.
Book example: مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ.
From where they do not know.
Ḥaythu: indeclinable on ḍamma in genitive position, followed by a verbal clause.