Sahih Muslim 7556
صحيح مسلم#7556Sahihوَحَدَّثَنِي حَجَّاجُ بْنُ الشَّاعِرِ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الصَّمَدِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْوَارِثِ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا حُسَيْنٌ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَعْبَدٍ الزِّمَّانِيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ، مَسْعُودٍ { أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَى رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِيلَةَ} قَالَ نَزَلَتْ فِي نَفَرٍ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ نَفَرًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَأَسْلَمَ الْجِنِّيُّونَ وَالإِنْسُ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ فَنَزَلَتْ { أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَى رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِيلَةَ}
Abdullah b. Mas'ud said in connection with the verse:" Those whom they call upon, themselves seek the means of access to their Lord," that that verse was revealed in connection with a party of Arabs who used to worship a group amnogst the jinn; the jinn embraced Islam but the people kept worshipping them without being conscious of it. Then this verse was revealed:" Those whom they call upon, themselves seek the means of access to their Lord
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
Every narration in Sahih Muslim is accepted as Sahih (authentic) by the established status of the book.
In-book reference: 56:34