Narrated Hudhaifa: The Prophet 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."
Hadith Referenceصحيح البخاري / كتاب الرقاق / 6480
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:أحاديث صحيح البخاريّ كلّها صحيحة
´It was narrated from Hudhaifah that the Messenger of Allah said:` "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."
Hafiz Muhammad Ameen
After burial, the “soul” (ruh) attains such a connection with the “body” (jism) that questioning and answering can take place, but this is entirely different from worldly life. Then the soul is sent to (Illiyyin) or (Sijjin). (Illiyyin) is a place near the Throne (‘Arsh) of Allah Ta‘ala, and (Sijjin) is beneath the earth, near Hell. However, its connection with its body—whatever state it may be in—remains to a certain extent, until the Day of Resurrection when souls will once again be entered into bodies. It should be remembered that the connection between soul and body in (barzakh life) is not something comprehensible to us. We have no need for this, nor are our minds created to understand such matters—just as a buffalo cannot understand mathematics, even though two plus two is indeed four.
Source: Sunan Nasa'i: Translation and Benefits by Shaykh Hafiz Muhammad Amin Hafizullah, Page: 2082