Shaykh Mufid and the book of Sulaym bin Qays

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Hadith study, Kitab Sulaym bin Qays

Shaykh Mufid and the book of Sulaym bin Qays

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2021-04-26
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Shaykh Mufid says :

"As for the tradition which Abu Jafar, relies on and which has been mentioned in the book attributed to Sulaym, on the authority of Aban ibn Abi Ayyash, the meaning of it is sound, yet none the less, the book is unauthoritative and most of it cannot be accepted as binding precedent, since it has suffered corruption and alteration, therefore the scrupulous not act upon all that it contains, and not rely on the greater part of it, or imitate its narrator, but enquire of the scholars, to distinguish for him the sound from the spurious in it. And Allah is He Who guides to the truth"

[Tashih Al Itiqadaat, pg 149, 150]

Reply :

Firstly, Sheikh Mufid confirms the content of the narration which Al Saduq has narrated which is the same famous narration that has been narrated through many of our great scholars, like Fadhl ibn Shazaan, Al Saffar, Al Kulayni, Al Numani, Al Tusi and many others, and the trust of all these great scholars of Hadith on this book refutes this general objection of Al Mufid whose main expertise is not Hadith, but rather theology. Secondly, Sheikh Mufid generalizes his objection saying that the book has been altered and changed, without giving any reference as to what has been altered or changed. If what he says is due to the narration of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, then Sheikh Mufid himself has narrated this narration from him, and if it is due to the objection of the narration regarding the thirteen Imams, then that will be answered in upcoming articles in detail. Henceforth, this kind of general statement is of no value in such matters, especially when he himself narrates from the same book and then states that we should refer to scholars in order to distinguish the sound narrations from the spurious, as to which we already mentioned the statements of scholars who authenticated the book and its narrations.

So what was Altered ?

Sheikh Hurr Amili says :

"The manuscript that we have received of the book there is nothing corrupt in it and nothing that could show that the book is fabricated. Maybe the corrupt and fabricated was something else and that is why it has not become famous and has not reached us.

And indeed the trustworthy and truthful Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibraheem Numani says in his book Al Ghaybah: There is no dispute among the Shi'a that the book of Sulaym bin Qays Al-Hilali is considered as one of the biggest books of Usool of the doctrine of the Shia that has been narrated by scholars and the carriers of the narrations of Ahlulbayt (as) and one of the oldest of those Usool. It is one of the original sources (ie. Usool) that the Shi'a have depended on and referred to"

[Wasail ush Shia, v 30, pg 386]

Sheikh Mufid himself narrates affirmative one of the most controversial narrations of the Book of Sulaym

Sheikh Mufid :

It has been narrated from Sulaym from Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr who said :

"When it was near the death of Abu Bakr, he started restlessly crying and blaming himself, Umar was also present, so he said to us: Keep it confidential from your father, because he is delirious and you are of that family in which to be delirious in illness is well known, Aisha then said: You have said the truth. Then Umar went out and then Abu Bakr died"

[Al Kafiha Fi Ibtaal Tawbatil Khatiha, pg 46]

We also find that Sheikh Mufid narrates from the Book of Sulaym in his Fiqhi book :

Sheikh Mufid :

Aban ibn Abi Ayyash has narrated from Sulaym ibn Qays Hilali who said: I heard the Commander of the Faithful (as) saying:

"We are by Allah, what Allah has mentioned as the near of kins and puts them in the same line of Himself and His Prophet (saws) He says: Whatever Allah has restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns, it is for Allah and for the Messenger, and for the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer (59:7), it is about us in particular and He did not specify a share in the charity, Allah Almighty has honored His Prophet (saws) and honored us by denying us the impure that is in the hand of people"

[Al Muqnia, pg 277]