Detachment is the key to true understanding (1-2)
Cause of denial of Prophets of the past (3-6)*
Cruelties suffered by the Prophets of the past: Noah, Hud, Salih, Abraham, Moses, Jesus (6-17)*
Denials of religious leaders (13-16)*
Coming and return of Prophets (19-20)*
Food, bread (22)
Explanation of Matthew 24:29-31 (24-52) (also 66-87)
- Oppression, 'Sun' and 'moon', Religious leaders, Laws and teachings, 'Cleaving of heaven', 'Changing of the earth' (48-51)
Purpose of symbolic terms to test and prove people (53-63)
- Change of the Qiblih, homicide of Moses, condition of the Virgin Mary (54-9)
Continued explanation of Matthew 24:29-31 (66-87) (also 24-52)
- Signs of coming in visible and invisible heavens, 'sign of the Son of man in heaven' (Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, the Báb) (61-73)
- Meaning of 'heaven' (74-5)
- Two kinds of knowledge (76)
- Meaning of 'clouds' (79-83)*
- Meaning of 'smoke' (84)
- Meaning of 'angels' (86-7)
Objections and differences persist in every age (88-90)
Alleged corruption of the Texts (91-8)
Twofold purpose for appearance of Manifestations of God (103)
God, the Unknowable Essence (104-5)*
Relationship between Manifestation and Divine Essence (105-6)*
Direct evidence of the names and attributes of God within all things (107-10)*
Failure of peoples to seek inner meaning of God's words (111-12)
Why the sovereignty of the Qa'im is not manifest (113-18)*
Meaning of 'wolf' and 'lamb' feeding together (119)
Meaning of 'life' and 'death' (120)
Verdict of the Last Day, of resurrection, of judgement (121-2)
Meaning of 'trumpet' and 'resurrection' (122-3)
Spiritual rebirth (125-9)
Spiritual sovereignty superior to worldly domain (131-46)
Allegation that the hand of God is chained up, that revelation is ended (147-8)*
Promise of attainment to the Divine Presence (148-51)
Fundamental purpose of all learning: Recognition of the Manifestation (153-4)
Meaning of the 'return' of Prophets and holy souls (156-71)
Twofold station of the Manifestation of God: abstraction and unity (161-62)*
(also (20), (191-4))
Rebirth and transformation (163-4)
The Divine Elixir (164-7)
Example of the rose (169)
All the Manifestations of God are at the same time the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (171-88)
- Meaning of the 'Seal of the Prophets' (172, 174, 178)
Twofold station assigned to each Manifestation of God (191-4)*
(also (20), (161-2))
- First station: All one person, one soul (193)*
- Second station: Distinction, differentiation, temporal limitations, etc. (194)*
Truth of divergent utterances of the Manifestations: Divinity, Lordship, Prophethood, Messengership, Guardianship, Apostleship or Servitude (196-9)*
Manifestation of God as the source of all knowledge (199-201)
Reference to Karim Khan Kirmani (203-10)
Mi'raj (the Prophet Muhammad's ascension to Heaven)(203-4)
Prerequisites of the true seeker after God (212-16)*
The City of Certitude (213-9)*
The Word of God is the greatest testimony (220-34)
- People's derision and denial of the Word of God (229-36), (238)
- Standard for understanding of God's Word: purity of heart, chastity of soul and freedom of spirit (233)
Rejection based on belief in finality of Revelation (236-45)
Proofs related to the Revelation of the Báb (246-65)*
References to various Islamic traditions (hadith) (266-75)
Bahá'u'lláh's stay in Sulaymaniyyih for two years (1854-1856) (278-9)
Prophecy of the year sixty (1260 AH, 1844 CE) (281)
Four signs from four Prophets (282)
Twofold language of the Manifestations of God (283-4)
* Forty passages from entries marked with an asterisk above, were selected by Shoghi Effendi for inclusion in