The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "I was given the choice between intercession and having half of my nation enter Paradise, and I chose intercession because it is more comprehensive and sufficient. Do you think it is for the pious? No, rather it is for the sinful, the wrongdoers, the ones stained with sin."
حدثنا إسمعيل بن أسد حدثنا أبو بدر حدثنا زياد بن خيثمة عن نعيم بن أبي هند عن ربعي بن حراش
قال رسول الله ﷺ خيرت بين الشفاعة وبين أن يدخل نصف أمتي الجنة فاخترت الشفاعة لأنها أعم وأكفى أترونها للمتقين لا ولكنها للمذنبين الخطائين المتلوثين
[Its chain of transmission is hasan] and Busiri graded it sahih. It has many corroborating narrations, including what Hasan bin Arafah related in his Juz, number 93. Munziri said, (4/447, Targhib), the chain of transmission of the hadith of Ibn Umar is good.