In Attar's Elahi Nameh, the tale of 'The Speech of That Man on Backbiting' illustrates the extreme rarity of true spiritual detachment from worldly gossip. A well-traveled wise man declares he has found only 'one and a half' worthy individuals in the entire world. The 'one' complete person is someone who speaks neither good nor bad of anyone, achieving total silence and spiritual focus. The 'half' person is one who speaks only good and never backbites. The poem conveys the Sufi ideal that transcending the dualities of praise and blame is necessary for the soul to remain focused on the divine, rather than being distracted by the affairs and judgments of others.