Scrutiny and criticism of the mutafarridāt (exclusive reports) of the Kitāb Sulaym b. Qays al-Hilālī

Kitāb Sulaym (the book of Sulyam) is among the Shi‘a hadith works belonging to the first/seventh century. The traditions contained in this book compared with other resources of both Shi‘a and Sunni denominations have countless common and, at the same time, (numerous) exclusive matters. From a quantitative aspect when the common matters and exclusive ones are compared, majority of the traditions of the book are reports supported by numerous historical evidences. But a small per cent of the traditions include the exclusive ones that mostly pivot on doctrinal, historical and maṭā‘in (strong criticisms). Content researches of the mutafarridāt (exclusive reports) of Sulaym, based on the Shi‘a fundamentals show their content genuineness. An instance for this is the traditions introducing the Twelve Imams (A.S). However, the reliability of some subjects of this same mutafarridāt such as introducing the sect of Samarra among other Islamic sects, exaggeration in explaining some of the virtues and merits of Imam Ali (A.S) and Sulaym (himself), and maṭā‘in (strong criticisms) concerning the first two Caliphs and the wives of the Prophet (S), going astray in some its accounts with regard to historical events such as the Battle of Camel, and conversation of Muhammad b. Abu Bakr with his father Abu Bakr at the last moment of the latter’s life, cannot be proved.