Imam ash-Shafi'ee - Poetry on how to respond to Fool: "The fools speak to me with all vulgarity *So I hate to respond likewise in turn. they increase in their evil, so I increase in my patience"* Like an incense that becomes more fragrant when burned. So when the fool speaks do not respond, the strongest rebuttal is lack of acknowledgment. If you address him he finds comfort, but if you ignore him he remains paralyzed In another narration Imam ash-Shafi'i said: "If a fool speaks, do not answer him. The best answer to him is silence. If you answer him, it will only loosen his tongue. If you leave him, he will die of sadness." Also ash-Shafi'i said: "A humiliation of knowledge is to argue with everyone who tries to argue with you, and to speak with everyone who tries to speak with you." "Manaqib ash-Shafi'i", 2/151,