Sheikh Abu Abdillah al–Nu’mani...

Sheikh Abu Abdillah al–Nu’mani, whom we already mentioned when listing the names of the masters of Qur’anic exegesis, has recorded in his book on occultation, Al–Ghaybah , after quoting a hadith from the book of Sulaym ibn Qays, “All the Shi’ah who learnt and transmitted from the Imams agree that the book of Sulaym ibn Qays al–Hilali is the oldest source ( asl ) to be related by scholars and transmitters of the hadith of the Ahl al–Bayt.

Besides, it is one of the sources to which the Shi’ah refer and on which they depend” Sulaym died in Kufa in the early days of al–Hajjaj ibn Yusuf’s rule. Maytham ibn Yahya Abu Salih al–Tammar was a close companion and confidant of the Commander of the Faithful. He compiled a magnificent work on hadith which is extensively quoted by al–Tusi, Sheikh Abu Amr al–Kashi and al–Tabari in his Bisharat al–Mustafa. Maytham was murdered in Kufa by Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad for being a Shi'ah.

Muhammad ibn Qays al–Bajali to whose credit is a book which he relates from the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him. The masters of biography counted him among the Shi'ah tabi’i s, and also wrote about his book. Sheikh al–Tusi, in his Fihrist relates from Ubayd ibn Muhammad ibn Qays that he…