'Abdullah reported:We were with Allah's Messenger (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 Allah's Messenger (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 صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي غَارٍ وَقَدْ أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيْهِ { وَالْمُرْسَلاَتِ عُرْفًا} . فَنَحْنُ نَأْخُذُهَا مِنْ فِيهِ رَطْبَةً إِذْ خَرَجَتْ عَلَيْنَا حَيَّةٌ فَقَالَ " اقْتُلُوهَا " . فَابْتَدَرْنَاهَا لِنَقْتُلَهَا فَسَبَقَتْنَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " وَقَاهَا اللَّهُ شَرَّكُمْ كَمَا وَقَاكُمْ شَرَّهَا " .
Muslim
The Book of Greetings • Hadith 186