Nasai

(1) “He seized me”: He thought that by apparently destroying the body in this manner, Allah ta‘ala would not be able to seize him. But this was his ignorance, because even in this way, only the form and appearance of the body can change—he turned from flesh and bones into ashes—but he could not be annihilated; the ashes still exist.

(2) “He forgave him”: His ignorance was taken as an excuse, and also, his intention was only to escape Allah ta‘ala’s punishment, even though the method was incorrect. It is understood from this that intention is given more consideration than action. If the intention is wrong and the action is correct, the action is not valid, such as a prayer performed for show. But if the intention is correct and the action is incorrect, reward is still granted, as in the case of a mujtahid (independent jurist) seeking the truth—even if he does not attain the truth, he is still deserving of reward.

(3) It is understood from the hadith that he was not a disbeliever; he was eligible for forgiveness, otherwise disbelief (kufr) and polytheism (shirk) can never be forgiven under any circumstances. The awareness of sins and fear (of Allah) are also signs of faith (iman).

(4) The hadith affirms resurrection after death.

(5) The immense power of Allah ta‘ala is evident.

(6) The virtue of fearing Allah ta‘ala is indicated.

(7) Allah’s mercy is very vast.

Hadith Commentary:
Hafiz Sahib (rahimahullah) states that the words "if Allah should ever have power over me" were uttered by this person due to overwhelming fear and terror, while he was in a state of heedlessness and forgetfulness. Therefore, these words were not held against him for accountability.

Hadith Commentary:
Expressing doubts or suspicions regarding the power of Allah Almighty is disbelief (kufr), but the aforementioned person expressed doubt about Allah’s power and yet he was forgiven, because this doubt arose due to the intensity of his grief.
This is an impediment to declaring someone a disbeliever, just as intense happiness is also an obstacle to declaring someone a disbeliever, as is evident from the hadith in Sahih Muslim.
A man lost his mount along with his provisions in the wilderness. When suddenly he found it, due to the intensity of his happiness he said:
(اللهم أنت عبدي وأنا ربك)
“That is, O Allah! You are my servant and I am Your Lord.”
(Sahih Muslim, al-Tawbah, Hadith: 6960(2747))
Apparently, this is a statement of disbelief, but it was uttered due to the intensity of happiness, so Allah pardoned him for it.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
Because although that person was sinful, he was a monotheist (muwahhid).
There is great hope of forgiveness for the people of tawhid (monotheism).
A person should always avoid shirk (associating partners with Allah) and remain steadfast upon tawhid; if one dies upon shirk, then there is absolutely no hope for forgiveness.
Worshipping graves, bowing one's head before taziyahs and flags, circumambulating shrines, making vows and offerings to any khwaja or qutb—these are all acts of shirk. May Allah protect us from all of these, ameen.

Hadith Commentary:
.
That person among the Children of Israel was a grave-robber who used to strip the shrouds from the dead in their graves.
If it is asked: Was that person a believer or a disbeliever? If he was a believer, then why did he doubt the power of Allah Almighty? If he was a disbeliever, then how was he forgiven? The answer is that he was a believer, and out of terror he took this action.
The evidence for his being a believer is that he said:
O Allah! I did this out of fear of You.
(‘Umdat al-Qari: 16/684)
2.
In any case, there is great hope of forgiveness for the people of tawhid (monotheism).
A person should safeguard himself from shirk (associating partners with Allah) and remain firm upon tawhid.
Shirk is such a worst form of evil that if one dies upon it, there is absolutely no hope of forgiveness.
In this hadith, it is mentioned that Allah Almighty spoke to the wind, the sea, and the deceased, and this speech was also composed of sound and letters, and was other than the Noble Qur’an.
It is regrettable for those who deny this or resort to far-fetched interpretations.

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
Rasha:
He gave it.
If "raasa" is used, then the meaning will be:
(Made him the leader of wealth and children.)

Abtaar:
And the hamzah is replaced with haa,
"Abtahar,"
He gathered,
He stored,
That is, he sent ahead.

Fama talaffahu ghayruha:
The expiation and removal of his sins was done only by the fear of Allah.

Hadith Commentary:
Benefits and Issues:
This man was a believer, and he thought,
“I have not done any good deed,”
even though Allah, the Exalted, had blessed him abundantly with wealth and also granted him children,
with whom he behaved very well.
But due to the fear and dread of being held accountable for his sins, he could not maintain control over his senses,
and thus uttered an incorrect and extremely unpleasant statement: that if Allah were to overpower him,
or be able to seize him, then He would punish him severely.
Since this statement was made under the dominance of awe and fear,
he was therefore forgiven for it,
because success and prosperity are truly dependent upon and rooted in the fear and awe of Allah alone.

Takhrij al-Hadith:
[وأخرجه البخاري 7506، ومسلم 2756، من حديث مالك به]

Jurisprudential Explanation:
➊ The person mentioned in this narration did not doubt Allah Almighty’s power; rather, he thought that by this method Allah would not subject him to hardship. See [زاد المسير لابن الجوزي ص940، الانبياء : 87] and [التمهيد 18/43].
➋ Punishment is inflicted upon both the soul and the body.
➌ Allah Almighty is capable of everything. He is not dependent on the laws of nature; rather, everything is dependent on Him, and He is the Creator of all things.
➍ All sins are forgiven through sincere repentance (tawbah).
➎ It is not permissible to cremate the deceased; rather, it is necessary to bury them in a grave.
➏ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu) that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: «کان رجل ممن کان قبلکم لم یعمل خیرًا قط إلا التوحید۔» There was a man among those before you who did not perform any good deed except for tawhid (affirming the oneness of Allah). [مسند أحمد 2/304 ح8040 وسنده صحيح] Then he narrated a report with the same meaning as the above hadith. It is thus clear that the mentioned person was a monotheist (muwahhid); therefore, the question of him doubting Allah’s power does not arise.
➐ A monotheist (one who affirms tawhid) will ultimately enter Paradise, provided he does not commit any act that contradicts Islam.