On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

A man sinned greatly against himself, and when death came to him he charged his sons, saying: When I have died, burn me, then crush me and scatter [my ashes] into the sea, for, by Allah, if my Lord takes possession of me, He will punish me in a manner in which He has punished no one [else]. So they did that to him. Then He said to the earth: Produce what you have taken-and there he was! And He said to him: What induced you to do what you did? He said: Being afraid of You, O my Lord (or he said: Being frightened of You) and because of that He forgave him.

It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).

عَنْ أَبي هُرَيْرَةَ ، رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ، عَنِ النَّبَيِّ صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ ، قَالَ :
أَسْرَفَ رَجُلٌ عَلي نَفْسِهِ ، فَلَمَّا حَضَرَهُ المَوْتُ أَوْصَى بَنِيه ، فَقَالَ : إِذَا أَنَا مِتُّ فَأَحْرِقُوني ، ثُمَّ اسْحَقُوني ، ثُمَّ أَذْرُوني في البَحْرِ فَوَاللهِ لَئِنْ قَدَرَ عَلَيَّ رَبِّي لَيُعَذَّبَنِّي عَذَاباً ، مَا عَذَّبَهُ أَحَداً ، فَفَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ بِهِ . فَقَالَ لِلْأَرْضِ : أَدِّي مَا أَخَذْتِ ، فَإِذا هُوَ قَائِمٌ ، فَقَالَ لَهُ : مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَي مَا صَنَعْتَ ؟ قَالَ : خَشْيَتُكَ يَا رَبِّ ، أَوْ مَخَافَتُكَ . فَغَفَرَ لَهُ بِذَلِكَ .
رواهُ مسلم (وكذلك البخاري والنسائي وابن ماجه)