وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ
قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «قَالَ رَجُلٌ لَمْ يَعْمَلْ خَيْرًا قَطُّ لِأَهْلِهِ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ أَسْرَفَ رَجُلٌ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ فَلَمَّا حَضَرَهُ الْمَوْتُ أَوْصَى بَنِيهِ إِذَا مَاتَ فَحَرِّقُوهُ ثُمَّ اذْرُوا نِصْفَهُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَنِصْفَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ فو الله لَئِنْ قَدَرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ لَيُعَذِّبَنَّهُ عَذَابًا لَا يُعَذِّبُهُ أَحَدًا مِنَ الْعَالَمِينَ فَلَمَّا مَاتَ فَعَلُوا مَا أَمَرَهُمْ فَأَمَرَ اللَّهُ الْبَحْرَ فَجَمَعَ مَا فِيهِ وَأَمَرَ الْبَرَّ فَجَمَعَ مَا فِيهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ: لِمَ فَعَلْتَ هَذَا؟ قَالَ: مِنْ خَشْيَتِكَ يَا رَبِّ وَأَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ فَغَفَرَ لَهُ»
Abu Hurayrah reported God’s messenger as saying that a man declared he had never done any good to his family. (A version says that a man had committed an excessive amount of sin), and when he was about to die gave instruction to his sons to burn him when he died and scatter half his ashes on the land and half in the sea, swearing by God that if God had him in His power He would give him such a punishment as He would give to no other in the universe.
When he died they did what he had commanded them, but God gave command to the sea and it gathered what was in it, and He gave command to the land and it gathered what was in it.
He then asked him, “Why did you do this?” and he replied, “From fear of Thee, my Lord, but Thou knowest best.” Then He pardoned him.