An analysis on the attribution of the isnad of Kitāb Sulaym to Shaykh al-Ṭūsī

For long there has been disputes (or controversies) about the character of Sulaym as well as authenticity and validity of Kitāb Sulaym ibn Qays in the Shi’a sources. Most of those who approve the validity of this book, insist on mentioning the confirmatory viewpoints of the early scholars and present acceptable isnads for it and this way they either prove the validity of this book or correct it or better its validity condition. In the meanwhile, one of the manuscripts of Kitāb Sulaym ibn Qays preceded with Shaykh al-Ṭūsī’s isnad is of high importance. However, considering the serious ambiguities existing in the isnad attributed to Shaykh al-Ṭūsī , along with evidences and indications available among the works of the Shaykh and the fundamentals of the early scholars, it seems that the newly written isnad existing in a manuscript of Kitāb Sulaym ibn Qays is not indeed the isnad and the path (ṭarīq) of the Shaykh, and that certain individuals have knowingly or unknowingly fabricated and added it to the late manuscript of the book attributed to Sulaym while transcribing it.