Sahih al-Bukhari 4714
صحيح البخاري#4714Sahihحَدَّثَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، حَدَّثَنِي سُلَيْمَانُ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ أَبِي مَعْمَرٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، {إِلَى رَبِّهِمِ الْوَسِيلَةَ} قَالَ كَانَ نَاسٌ مِنَ الإِنْسِ يَعْبُدُونَ نَاسًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ، فَأَسْلَمَ الْجِنُّ، وَتَمَسَّكَ هَؤُلاَءِ بِدِينِهِمْ. زَادَ الأَشْجَعِيُّ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ. {قُلِ ادْعُوا الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ}
Narrated `Abdullah:Regarding the explanation of the Verse: 'Those whom they call upon (worship) (like Jesus the Son of Mary, angels etc.) desire (for themselves) means of access to their Lord (Allah) as to which of them should be the nearer and they hope for His Mercy and fear His torment.' (17.57) They themselves (e.g. Angels, saints, Apostles, Jesus, etc.,) worshipped Allah, Those Jinns who were worshipped by some Arabs became Muslims (embraced Islam), but those human beings stuck to their (old) religion. Al- A`mash said extra: 'Say, (O Muhammad): Call unto those besides Him whom you assume (to be gods)
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 al-Bukhari is accepted as Sahih (authentic) by the established status of the book.
In-book reference: 65:236