It is a tale as old as time. A person rises, gains recognition, and dedicates himself to doing good. And almost inevitably, from the shadows emerge those whose diseased hearts cannot bear to witness the success of another. They will lie, distort, slander, and manufacture scandals. Not necessarily because they believe what they say, but because another man’s success has become an unbearable reminder of their own insignificance. But understand something. Not every accusation deserves a defence. Not every barking voice deserves an answer. And not every enemy deserves the dignity of being acknowledged. The Shayatin al-Ins (devils among mankind) are not always seeking to destroy your reputation. Sometimes, their greatest ambition is simply to drag you into their world, to make you abandon your purpose long enough to acknowledge their existence. For some people, even your anger is a privilege. Even your response is a victory. Even your contempt is a form of recognition. And there is something profoundly humiliating about desperately seeking the attention of someone who refuses to acknowledge you. So let them speak. Let them exhaust themselves. Let them spend their days consumed by a person who scarcely spares them a thought. You have work to do. They have an obsession to maintain. And while they hunger for a reaction, you will give them the one thing their egos cannot endure: Irrelevance. You will starve them of the attention they so desperately crave. Every. Single. Time.

In Christianity, a good woman is worse than a bad man. Sirach 42:14