'Abdullah reported: We were with Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a cave when there was revealed to him (the Sura al-Mursalat, i. e. Sura lxxvii.:" By those sent forth to spread goodness" ) and we had just heard (it) from his lips that there appeared before us a snake. He said: Kill it. We hastened to kill it, but it slipped away from us, thereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Allah saved it from your harm just as he saved you from its evil.

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، وَأَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ - وَاللَّفْظُ لِيَحْيَى - قَالَ يَحْيَى وَإِسْحَاقُ أَخْبَرَنَا وَقَالَ الآخَرَانِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ كُنَّا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فِي غَارٍ وَقَدْ أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيْهِ { وَالْمُرْسَلاَتِ عُرْفًا} . فَنَحْنُ نَأْخُذُهَا مِنْ فِيهِ رَطْبَةً إِذْ خَرَجَتْ عَلَيْنَا حَيَّةٌ فَقَالَ " اقْتُلُوهَا " . فَابْتَدَرْنَاهَا لِنَقْتُلَهَا فَسَبَقَتْنَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " وَقَاهَا اللَّهُ شَرَّكُمْ كَمَا وَقَاكُمْ شَرَّهَا " .