Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
bukhari:6480 – ʿUthmān b. Abū Shaybah > Jarīr > Manṣūr > Ribʿī > Ḥudhayfah

The Prophet ﷺ said, "There was a man amongst the people who had suspicion as to the righteousness of his deeds. Therefore he said to his family, 'If I die, take me and burn my corpse and throw my ashes into the sea on a hot (or windy) day.' They did so, but Allah, collected his particles and asked (him), What made you do what you did?' He replied, 'The only thing that made me do it, was that I was afraid of You.' So Allah forgave him."  

البخاري:٦٤٨٠ – حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ رِبْعِيٍّ عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ كَانَ رَجُلٌ مِمَّنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ يُسِيءُ الظَّنَّ بِعَمَلِهِ فَقَالَ لأَهْلِهِ إِذَا أَنَا مُتُّ فَخُذُونِي فَذَرُّونِي فِي الْبَحْرِ فِي يَوْمٍ صَائِفٍ فَفَعَلُوا بِهِ فَجَمَعَهُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى الَّذِي صَنَعْتَ قَالَ مَا حَمَلَنِي إِلاَّ مَخَافَتُكَ فَغَفَرَ لَهُ  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Nasāʾī, Aḥmad, Ṭabarānī, Nasāʾī's Kubrá
nasai:2080 – Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > Jarīr > Manṣūr > Ribʿī > Ḥudhayfah

"There was a man among those who came before you who thought badly of his deeds, so when death was approaching he said to his family: 'When I am dead, burn my body and grind up my bones, then scatter me in the sea, for if Allah gets hold of me, He will never forgive me.' But Allah commanded the angles to seize his soul. He said to him: 'What made you do what you did?' He said:: 'O Lord, I only did it because I feared You.' So Allah forgave him."  

النسائي:٢٠٨٠ – أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ رِبْعِيٍّ عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ

عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ كَانَ رَجُلٌ مِمَّنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ يُسِيءُ الظَّنَّ بِعَمَلِهِ فَلَمَّا حَضَرَتْهُ الْوَفَاةُ قَالَ لأَهْلِهِ إِذَا أَنَا مُتُّ فَأَحْرِقُونِي ثُمَّ اطْحَنُونِي ثُمَّ اذْرُونِي فِي الْبَحْرِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ إِنْ يَقْدِرْ عَلَىَّ لَمْ يَغْفِرْ لِي قَالَ فَأَمَرَ اللَّهُ ﷻ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ فَتَلَقَّتْ رُوحَهُ قَالَ لَهُ مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى مَا فَعَلْتَ قَالَ يَا رَبِّ مَا فَعَلْتُ إِلاَّ مِنْ مَخَافَتِكَ فَغَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ  

ahmad:3785 – Yaḥyá b. Isḥāq > Ḥammād b. Salamah > ʿĀṣim b. Bahdalah > Abū Wāʾil > ʿAbdullāh

[Machine] A man who never did any good except monotheism. So, when death approached him, he said to his family, "When I die, take me and burn me until you turn me into ashes. Then grind me, and scatter me into the sea on a windy day." He said, "They did that to him." He said, "Then he was in Allah's grip." Allah said to him, "What compelled you to do what you did?" He said, "Out of fear of you." Allah forgave him.  

أحمد:٣٧٨٥ – حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ أَخْبَرَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ بَهْدَلَةَ عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ

أَنَّ رَجُلًا لَمْ يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ شَيْئًا قَطُّ إِلَّا التَّوْحِيدَ فَلَمَّا حَضَرَتْهُ الْوَفَاةُ قَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ إِذَا أَنَا مِتُّ فَخُذُونِيوَاحْرُقُونِي حَتَّى تَدَعُونِي حُمَمَةً ثُمَّ اطْحَنُونِي ثُمَّ اذْرُونِي فِي الْبَحْرِ فِي يَوْمٍ رَاحٍ قَالَ فَفَعَلُوا بِهِ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَإِذَا هُوَ فِي قَبْضَةِ اللهِ قَالَ فَقَالَ اللهُ ﷻ لَهُ مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى مَا صَنَعْتَ؟ قَالَ مَخَافَتُكَ قَالَ فَغَفَرَ اللهُ لَهُ  

ahmad:23253 – Abū Muʿāwiyah > Abū Mālik al-Ashjaʿī > Ribʿī b. Ḥirāsh > Abū Masʿūd al-Anṣārī > Ḥudhayfah

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: There was a man from among those before you who used to commit sins. When death approached him, he said to his family: "If I die, burn me, then grind me into powder and scatter me in the sea on a stormy day." When he died, his family did as he had instructed. Then Allah gathered him in His hand and asked him: "What made you do what you did?" He replied: "Out of fear of You." Allah said: "Indeed, I have forgiven you."  

أحمد:٢٣٢٥٣ – حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مَالِكٍ الْأَشْجَعِيُّ عَنْ رِبْعِيِّ بْنِ حِرَاشٍ عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ وَعَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ قَالَا

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ كَانَ رَجُلٌ مِمَّنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ يَعْمَلُ بِالْمَعَاصِي فَلَمَّا حَضَرَهُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ إِذَا أَنَا مُتُّ فَأَحْرِقُونِي ثُمَّ اطْحَنُونِي ثُمَّ ذَرُّونِي فِي الْبَحْرِ فِي يَوْمِ رِيحٍ عَاصِفٍ قَالَ فَلَمَّا مَاتَ فَعَلُوا قَالَ فَجَمَعَهُ اللهُ فِي يَدِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى مَا صَنَعْتَ؟ قَالَ خَوْفُكَ قَالَ فَإِنِّي قَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَكَ  

tabarani:9758 – Yūsuf al-Qāḍī > ʿAmr b. Marzūq > Shuʿbah > Salamah b. Kuhayl > Abū al-Zaʿrāʾ > ʿAbdullāh

[Machine] A man who had wealth but never did any good with it, when death came to him, he said to his family, "When I die, burn me, then crush my ashes, and scatter me in the wind." This was done to him, and Allah gathered him and said, "What led you to do what you did?" He said, "Out of fear of You." And so, he attained the mercy of Allah.  

الطبراني:٩٧٥٨ – حَدَّثَنَا يُوسُفُ الْقَاضِي ثنا عَمْرُو بْنُ مَرْزُوقٍ أنا شُعْبَةُ عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ كُهَيْلٍ عَنْ أَبِي الزَّعْرَاءِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ

أَنَّ رَجُلًا كَانَ لَهُ مَالٌ لَمْ يَعْمَلْ فِيهِ خَيْرًا قَطُّ فَلَمَّا نَزَلَ بِهِ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ إِذَا أَنَا مُتُّ فَاحْرِقُونِي ثُمَّ اسْحَقُونِي ثُمَّ اذْرُونِي فِي الرِّيحِ فَفُعِلَ ذَلِكَ بِهِ فَجَمَعَهُ اللهُ فَقَالَ مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى مَا صَنَعْتَ؟ قَالَ مِنْ أَجْلِ مَخَافَتِكَ فَنَالَتْهُ رَحْمَةُ اللهِ  

nasai-kubra:2218 – Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > Jarīr > Manṣūr > Ribʿī b. Ḥirāsh > Ḥudhayfah

"There was a man among those who came before you who thought badly of his deeds, so when death was approaching he said to his family: 'When I am dead, burn my body and grind up my bones, then scatter me in the sea, for if Allah gets hold of me, He will never forgive me.' But Allah commanded the angles to seize his soul. He said to him: 'What made you do what you did?' He said:: 'O Lord, I only did it because I feared You.' So Allah forgave him." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 2080)  

الكبرى للنسائي:٢٢١٨ – أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ رِبْعِيِّ بْنِ حِرَاشٍ عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ

عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ «كَانَ رَجُلٌ مِمَّنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ سَيِّءُ الظَّنَّ بِعَمَلِهِ فَلَمَّا حَضَرَتْهُ الْوَفَاةُ» قَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ إِذَا أَنَا مُتُّ فَأَحْرِقُونِي ثُمَّ اطْحَنُونِي ثُمَّ اذْرُونِي فِي الْبَحْرِ فَإِنَّ اللهَ يَقْدِرُ عَلَيَّ لَمْ يَغْفِرْ لِي قَالَ فَأَمَرَ اللهُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ فَتَلَقَّتْ رُوحَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى مَا فَعَلْتَ؟ قَالَ يَا رَبِّ مَا فَعَلْتُ إِلَّا مِنْ مَخَافَتِكَ فَغَفَرَ اللهُ لَهُ