وَمِنْ طَرِيقٍ ثَانٍ عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: كُنَّا جُلُوسًا فِي مَسْجِدِ الْخَيْفِ لَيْلَةَ عَرَفَةَ الَّتِي قَبْلَ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ إِذْ سَمِعْنَا حِسَّ الْحَيَّةِ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ((اقْتُلُوهَا))، قَالَ: فَقُمْنَا فَدَخَلَتْ شَقَّ جُحْرٍ، فَأُتِيَ بِسَعَفَةٍ فَأُضْرِمَ فِيهَا نَارًا وَأَخَذْنَا عُودًا فَقَلَعْنَا عَنْهَا بَعْضَ الْجُحْرِ فَلَمْ نَجِدْهَا، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ((دَعُوهَا وَقَاهَا اللَّهُ شَرَّكُمْ كَمَا وَقَاكُمْ شَرَّهَا))
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that we were sitting in the Mosque of Khaif on the night before the Day of Arafah, when suddenly we sensed the movement of a snake. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Kill it. We stood up to kill it, but it slipped into a crack in a stone. Then date palm branches were brought and fire was lit in it, then we took a stick and moved the stone a little from its place, but the snake could not be found. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Now leave it, Allah has saved it from your harm and you from its harm.