حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مَعْمَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ كَانَ رَجُلٌ نَصْرَانِيًّا فَأَسْلَمَ وَقَرَأَ الْبَقَرَةَ وَآلَ عِمْرَانَ، فَكَانَ يَكْتُبُ لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَعَادَ نَصْرَانِيًّا فَكَانَ يَقُولُ مَا يَدْرِي مُحَمَّدٌ إِلاَّ مَا كَتَبْتُ لَهُ، فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ فَدَفَنُوهُ، فَأَصْبَحَ وَقَدْ لَفَظَتْهُ الأَرْضُ فَقَالُوا هَذَا فِعْلُ مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَصْحَابِهِ، لَمَّا هَرَبَ مِنْهُمْ نَبَشُوا عَنْ صَاحِبِنَا‏.‏ فَأَلْقُوهُ فَحَفَرُوا لَهُ فَأَعْمَقُوا، فَأَصْبَحَ وَقَدْ لَفَظَتْهُ الأَرْضُ، فَقَالُوا هَذَا فِعْلُ مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَصْحَابِهِ نَبَشُوا عَنْ صَاحِبِنَا لَمَّا هَرَبَ مِنْهُمْ‏.‏ فَأَلْقَوْهُ فَحَفَرُوا لَهُ، وَأَعْمَقُوا لَهُ فِي الأَرْضِ مَا اسْتَطَاعُوا، فَأَصْبَحَ قَدْ لَفَظَتْهُ الأَرْضُ، فَعَلِمُوا أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَأَلْقَوْهُ‏.‏

There was a Christian who embraced Islam and read Surat-al-Baqara and Al-`Imran, and he used to write for the Prophet. Later on he returned to Christianity again and he used to say: "Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him." Then Allah caused him to die, and the people buried him, but in the morning they saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, "This is the act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and took his body out of it because he had run away from them." They again dug the grave deeply for him, but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, "This is an act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and threw his body outside it, for he had run away from them." They dug the grave for him as deep as they could, but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. So they believed that what had befallen him was not done by human beings and had to leave him thrown (on the ground).