قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: {قُلِ ادْعُوا الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ مِنْ دُونِهِ، فَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ كَشْفَ الضُّرِّ عَنْكُمْ وَلَا تَحْوِيلًا} [الإسراء: 56]

" Those to whom they call upon, themselves seek the means or access to their Lord as to whoever of them becomes nearest" (xvii. 57) that it related to a party of Jinn who were being worshipped and they embraced Islam but those who worshipped them kept on worshipping them (though the Jinn whom the misguided people worshipped had become Muslims). It was then that this verse was revealed.  

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ ﷻ { أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَى رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِيلَةَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ} قَالَ كَانَ نَفَرٌ مِنَ الْجِنِّ أَسْلَمُوا وَكَانُوا يُعْبَدُونَ فَبَقِيَ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ عَلَى عِبَادَتِهِمْ وَقَدْ أَسْلَمَ النَّفَرُ مِنَ الْجِنِّ  

" Those whom they call upon, themselves seek the means of access to their Lord," that it related to a group of people who worshipped a party amongst the Jinn. The group from amongst the Jinn embraced Islam, but the people kept worshipping them as they did before, and it was (on this occasion) that the verse was revealed:" Those whom they call upon, themselves seek the means of access to their Lord." This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Sulaiman with the same chain of transmitters.  

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ { أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَى رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِيلَةَ} قَالَ كَانَ نَفَرٌ مِنَ الإِنْسِ يَعْبُدُونَ نَفَرًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَأَسْلَمَ النَّفَرُ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَاسْتَمْسَكَ الإِنْسُ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ فَنَزَلَتْ { أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَى رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِيلَةَ} وَحَدَّثَنِيهِ بِشْرُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ يَعْنِي ابْنَ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ شُعْبَةَ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ  

[Machine] About Abdullah's saying, "{Those are the ones who invoke, seeking means to their Lord.}" He said, "There were people who used to be worshiped. So those who used to worship them embraced Islam, while those who used to worship them did not know (the truth) about them. Thus, Allah criticized them for that." Then he said, "{Those are the ones who invoke, seeking means to their Lord.}"  

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ {أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَى رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِيلَةَ} قَالَ «كَانَ نَاسٌ يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ فَأَسْلَمَ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ وَلَا يَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ فَعَيَّرَهُمُ اللهُ ﷻ بِذَلِكَ» فَقَالَ {أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَى رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِيلَةَ}