How can one reconcile the Almighty’s saying: "And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them, they say, 'Peace'," with preserving one’s dignity and protecting it from humiliation, especially with people who insist on grudges and with whom kindness is futile? Is the optimal solution to punish and deter them so they do not think the believer’s silence is weakness, or is shunning them more appropriate?

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