Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي عَنْ ابْنِ إِسْحَاقَ قَالَ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ الْأَسْوَدِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ النَّخَعِيُّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ نَزَلَتْ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَالْمُرْسَلَاتِ عُرْفًا لَيْلَةَ الْحَيَّةِ قَالَ فَقُلْنَا لَهُ وَمَا لَيْلَةُ الْحَيَّةِ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ قَالَ بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِحِرَاءٍ لَيْلًا خَرَجَتْ عَلَيْنَا حَيَّةٌ مِنْ الْجَبَلِ فَأَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِقَتْلِهَا فَطَلَبْنَاهَا فَأَعْجَزَتْنَا فَقَالَ دَعُوهَا عَنْكُمْ فَقَدْ وَقَاهَا اللَّهُ شَرَّكُمْ كَمَا وَقَاكُمْ شَرَّهَا.
English Translation
Ya'qub ibn Ibrahim told us: my father told us, from Ibn Ishaq, who said: Abdul Rahman ibn al-Aswad ibn Yazid al-Nakha'i told me, from his father, from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, who said: Surat al-Mursalat was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the Night of the Snake. We said to him, "What is the Night of the Snake, O Abu Abdul Rahman?" He said: While we were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at Hira' by night, a snake came out upon us from the mountain, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to kill it, so we sought it but it escaped us. He said, "Leave it be, for Allah has protected it from your harm just as He has protected you from its harm."