Thābit al-Bunānī narrated a version of the story that is much the same, in which he says, “I at first took him for an ʿilj (a foreign commoner).” It also contains the words: He told the man, “After me, do not press anyone else into service.” (6)

Jaʿfar ibn Sulaymān related, through Hishām (1) ibn Ḥassān, from al-Ḥasan, who said:
“Salman’s stipend was 5,000, and he was responsible for 30,000 people. He would give the sermon wrapped in a cloak, spreading one half of it on the ground as a mat and wearing the other half. Whenever his allowance arrived he would distribute it at once, and he lived on what his own hands earned (2).” (7)

Shuʿbah transmitted from Simāk ibn Ḥarb, who heard al-Nuʿmān ibn Ḥumayd say:
“I entered with my maternal uncle upon Salman at al-Madāʾin while he was weaving palm-leaf mats. I heard him say: ‘I buy palm leaves for one dirham, work them, and sell the finished mats for three: I reinvest one dirham, spend one on my family, and give one in charity. Even if ʿUmar were to forbid me, I would not desist.’ (3)

“A similar report comes from Simāk, from his uncle, in which I asked, ‘Then why do you keep working?’ He answered, ‘ʿUmar compelled me to accept office; I wrote asking to be excused, but he refused me twice. I wrote again, and he threatened me.’” (8)

Maʿn related from Mālik that:
“Salman used to follow the shade wherever it moved, for he had no house. Someone said to him, ‘Shall we not build you a house so that you can shelter in it?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’ When the man turned away, Salman asked, ‘And how will you build it?’ He said, ‘If you stand up inside it, your head will touch the roof, and if you lie down, your feet will touch the wall.’ (4)” (9)