An alleged Kufan disciple of Imam `Alī (d. 40/661) Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilālī is widely considered an anti-Umayyad polemical invention. The book ascribed to him is, however, very old, perhaps "the oldest surviving Shi`ite book"  (Modarressi, 2003: 82). It  evidently went through various stages of rewriting  but still  throws important lights on nascent Imami Shi`ism during the earliest period.

 See Ibn al-Nadim, Fihrist,  ADD; Moktar Djebli, `Sulaym b. Kays' in EI<sup>2</sup> :  Modarressi, Tradition and Survival., 2003: 82-86.No.6. The Arabic text of the Kitab al-`Aṣl or Kitab al-Sulaym has several times been printed since 1360/1939 in Najaf, Beirut, Qum and Tehran  often with new introductions and annotations. A massive (1472pp.) 3 vol. text with notes and commentary was published in 1995 in Qum by al-Hadi publications which has been partly abbreviated and translated into a large one vol. Persian edition (see below).

• Kitab al-Safifa or Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilali al-`Amiri al-Kufi. Najaf: [al-Imam al-Saqiq] Maktab Haydariyya,.1360/1939. 1st ed. Went through 5 subsequent editions with new introduction, etc.
• Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilālī. Najaf: Maktab al-Haydariyya.,  1361/1942.
• Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilālī. Rep. introduction in 16 pages by Sayyid Muhammad Sadiq, Bahr al-`Ulum. There have been multiple reprintings with four or more new introductions and prefaces, etc.
• Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilālī. Qum: Dar al-Kitab al-Islamiyya,  c. 1395/1975.
• Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays al-`Amili. Beirut: Dar al-Funun/ Maktaba al-Ayman, 1400/1980. Rep. of Najaf ed. + subsequently published in Qum.
•  
• Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilālī. Ed and introd. `Alā' al-Dīn al-Mūsawī.  Beirut [Qum] Mu`assasat al-Ba`atha  c. 1404/1983-4 (introd. + trans [from the Persian?] into Arabic on pp.1-26 + Arabic text of the Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays on  pp.1-215). This Arabic printing is said to be the second authorized printing and is based on a mss dated 14th Muharram 1087 = 29th March 1676 owned by Muhammad ibn Ḥasan al-Ḥurr al-`Āmilī (d. 1104 / 1693). *
• Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilālī : al-tabi`i al-kabir min ashab Amir al-muminin wa-al-imamayn al-Hasanayn wa-al-Imam Zayn al-`Abidin wa-al-Imam al-Baqir `alayhim al-salam : kitab hadithi tarikhi yu`tabaru awwal musannaf wasala ilayna min al-qarn al-awwal. Qum, Iran : Nashr al-Hadi, 1414/ 1994.
• Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilālī : al-tabi`i al-kabir min ashab Amir al-Muminin wa-al-imamayn al-Hasanayn wa'l-Imam Zayn al-`Abidin wa'l-Imam al-Baqir `alayhim al-salam : kitab Hadithi tarikhi yu`tabaru awwal musannaf wasala ilayna min al-qarn al-awwal. Ansari Khuini Zanjani, Muhammad.Publication: Qumm, Iran : Nashr al-Hadi, 1414/1994-5.
• Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilālī al-tabi`i al-kabir min ashab Amīr al-Muminīn wa-al-Imamayn al-Ḥasanayn wa'l-Imam Zayn al-`Abidin wa'l-Imam al-Baqir `alayhim al-salam al-mutawaffá sanat 76 : kitab hadithi tarikhi yu`tabaru awwal musannaf wasala ilayna min al-qarn al-awwal.  3 vols. ed. Shaykh Muhammad Baqir al-Ansari al-Zanjani al-Khu`ini. Qum: Nashr al-Hadi, 1415/1995. :*
• Vol.1 = Introduction and Survey of Research about the book and its author (551pp.). 1373/1415/1995.
• Vol.2 = `The Text' based on 13 mss.  and supplementary Hadith ascribed to Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilālī  = pp. 931-958 (958pp.) 1373/1415/1995;
• Vol.3 =  `References of the Traditions [sic.] and General Index'  (pp. 962-1467 + v [English])  1373/1415/1995 (total pages = 1472).
• The above three volumes  of the Kitab-i Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilali had been through four editions by 1426/2006. The latter in Qum (Iran) by Dalilema Publications = ISBN  964-7528-86-8 (3 vols.).*

    Persian Translations

• The 1st Persian translation was of the Najaf edition was apparently in 1400/ 1979-80  (370pp) by Isma'il Ansari and published in Qum then reprinted in Tehran, Qum and Mashhad.
• Kitab-i Sulaym ibn Qays : ba tarjumah va i`rab. [Qum?] : Ahl-i Bayt (`a), 1980-1989? (Persian).
• 2nd ed. 1412/1991-2 = Asrar-i Al Muhammad : tarjumah-i Kitab Sulaym bin Qays : avvalin kitab-i Shi`ah dar zaman-i Amir al-Muminin `alayhi al-salam : ba muqaddamah va mustadrakat-i Kitab-i Sulaym. [Qum : Intisharat-i `Allamah-i Qum, 1992 ( Persian).
• 3rd printing /ed. 1413/1993-4.  Has a new introduction.
• Asrar-i Al-i Muhammad tarjumah-yi Kitab-i Sulaym ibn Qays mutavaffá-yi 76 H : avvalin kitab-i Shi`ah dar zaman-i Amir al-Muminin `alayh al-salam : ba muqaddamah va mustadrakat-i Kitab-i Sulaym.  Ansari, Isma`il ibn Muhammad.Publication: Qum : Intisharat-i `Allamah, 1994

• Asrar-i Āl-i Muhammad : tarjumah-i Kitab Sulaym bin Qays : avvalin kitab-i hadisi va tarikhi az qarn-i avval-i Hijri  [Qum] : Nashr-i al-Hadi, 1996
• Asrar-i Āl-i Muhammad : tarjamah-i Kitab Sulaym bin Qays : avvalin kitab-i hadisi va tarikhi az qarn-i avval-i Hijri.  Ansari al-Zanjani al-Khuini, Isma`il.Publication: [Qom] : Nashr-i al-Hadi, 1996. Trans. is sometimes an abridgement of the the 3 vol. Qum : al-Hadi edition in 1 vol. (775pp.) printing.*

Urdu Translation

• ADD HERE., trans. Shaykh Maled Mohammad Sharif Shahrasuli. Moltan [Pakistan] 1391/1970.

English Translation

• Syed Ali Yusuf Hindi Chicago: Open School, 1419/1998 160pp. (not seen)
• al-Jawahir  Wal Luali [sic.], Translation of Kitab-e Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilali by Hujjatu'l-Islam wa'l-Musulmeen Syed Ali Abeed Rivzi and al-Faazelah Nilam Rizvi. S & N. Rizvi/ Ahmed Group of Services, Karachi, Pakistan, 2001 (lxxxiv+390 pp.). Trans. based on the Arabic Najaf editions. and the 3 vol. edition. *