The Real People
It is reported that ‘Abdullāh b. Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal – Allāh have mercy on him – said: I asked my father, “Who are the [real] people?” He replied, “The [real] people are none but those who say ḥaddathanā and akhbaranā (those who report ḥadīth).”
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm article 3438.