There was a man who had been a Christian, then embraced Islam and learned to recite Surah al-Baqarah and Surah Al Imran. He used to write for the Prophet ﷺ. Then he reverted to Christianity and began saying, "Muhammad knows nothing except what I wrote for him." Then Allah caused him to die, and they buried him.The next morning, the earth had cast him out. They said, "This is the work of Muhammad and his companions. When he ran away from them, they dug up our companion and threw him out." So they dug a grave for him and made it deep, but the next morning the earth had cast him out again. They said, "This is the work of Muhammad and his companions. They dug up our companion when he fled from them and threw him out." So they dug for him again and made the grave as deep as they could, but the next morning the earth had cast him out. Then they realized that this was not the doing of people, so they left him cast out.In another wording, there was among us a man from Banu al-Najjar who had recited Surah al-Baqarah and Surah Al Imran, and he used to write for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He fled until he reached the People of the Book. They welcomed him and said, "This man used to write for Muhammad," and they were impressed by him.He had not been among them long before Allah broke his neck. They dug a grave and buried him, but the next morning the earth had cast him out onto its surface. They went back and dug for him again and buried him, but the next morning the earth had cast him out onto its surface. They went back once more and dug for him and buried him, but the next morning the earth had cast him out onto its surface, so they left him lying exposed.
كان رجل نصرانيا فأسلم وقرأ البقرة وآل عمران، فكان يكتب للنبي ﷺ، فعاد نصرانيا، فكان يقول: ما يدري محمد إلا ما كتبت له، فأماته الله فدفنوه، فأصبح وقد لفظته الأرض، فقالوا: هذا فعل محمد وأصحابه لما هرب منهم، نبشوا عن صاحبنا فألقوه، فحفروا له فأعمقوا، فأصبح وقد لفظته الأرض، فقالوا: هذا فعل محمد وأصحابه، نبشوا عن صاحبنا لما هرب منهم فألقوه، فحفروا له وأعمقوا له في الأرض ما استطاعوا، فأصبح وقد لفظته الأرض، فعلموا: أنه ليس من الناس فألقوه. وفي لفظ: كان منا رجل من بني النجار، قد قرأ البقرة وآل عمران، وكان يكتب لرسول الله ﷺ، فانطلق هاربا حتى لحق بأهل الكتاب، قال فرفعوه، قالوا: هذا قد كان يكتب لمحمد، فأعجبوا به، فما لبث أن قصم الله عنقه فيهم، فحفروا له فواروه، فأصبحت الأرض قد نبذته على وجهها، ثم عادوا فحفروا له، فواروه فأصبحت الأرض قد نبذته على وجهها، ثم عادوا فحفروا له، فواروه فأصبحت الأرض قد نبذته على وجهها، فتركوه منبوذا.
Bukhari narrated it in the Book of Virtues (3617) from Abu Muamar, who said, Abdul-Warith narrated to us, who said, Abdul-Aziz narrated to us, from Anas, and he mentioned it.Muslim narrated it in the Book of the Descriptions of the Hypocrites (2781) from Muhammad bin Rafi, who said, Abu Nadr narrated to us, who said, Sulayman (that is, Ibn Mughira) narrated to us, from Thabit, from Anas, and he mentioned it with the second wording.