Peace
So basically where I work I tend to keep myself to myself and I don't look at people except only when I have to. I behave this way because in the past the same people I give no attention to were either rude to me or arrogant. The type that laugh at you whilst walking past you. For this reason I avoid eye contact or making conversations. To avoid humiliation and emotional suffering. I have a gut feeling my workplace is filled with narcissism. My intuition tells me so. When I researched narcissism, the experts and people who've experienced this sort of treatment advise to go 'no contact' with such people. To avoid them whenever you can if you have to be around them. They say attention only feeds a narcissist, makes him/ her more grandiose, egotistical and makes them want to mistreat you again because they do not value you as their ego and pride only grows when you give them attention.
In the Qur'an it says:
'And do not turn away your cheek from the people, and do not walk in the land/Earth showing superiority happiness and overconfidence , that truly God does not love/like every/each conceited/arrogant, proud/arrogant.'
'Do not speak to the people with your face turned away, nor walk proudly on earth; for Allah does not love any self-conceited boaster.'
'And do not turn your cheek away haughtily from mankind, and do not walk in the earth merrily. Surely Allah does not love everyone (who is) always conceited, (and) constantly boastful.'
31:18
These are multiple translations of the same verse.
So what I find myself doing is turning myself away from people to avoid them. Even if they say something I often do not even face them when answering. It's not because I feel superior, it's because I want to avoid toxic people who devalue me and behave arrogantly towards me. My intention is not to be arrogant but to avoid these people making me feel humiliated and unhappy.
Is the way I behave towards them haram? I do not behave like this to people in general, just people at work who in the past were arrogant towards me (and who I still sense arrogance from).