and in prose. He served as vizier to al-Muʿtaṣim and later to al-Wāthiq, but he was hostile toward Ibn Abī Dāwūd. The latter incited al-Mutawakkil against him, so the caliph seized Ibn al-Zayyāt’s property and had him tortured.
He maintained that the Quran was created, and he used to say, “I have never shown mercy to anyone; mercy is a weakness of character.” (1)
He was then confined in a cramped cage whose sides were studded with nails like spikes, and he kept crying out, “Have mercy on me!”
They would reply, “Mercy is a weakness of character.” (2)
He died in 233 AH.
He left behind superb letters, celebrated eloquence, and further reports recorded in The Obituaries of the Notables.

75 – al-ʿAllāf, Muḥammad ibn al-Hudhayl ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Baṣrī *
The shaykh of kalām and the leading figure of the Muʿtazilites, Abū al-Hudhayl Muḥammad ibn al-Hudhayl ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Baṣrī, known as al-ʿAllāf, was the author of numerous works and possessed outstanding intellect.
It is said that he lived nearly one hundred years, becoming senile and blind toward the end of his life.
He died in 226 AH; others say 235 AH.
He was born in 135 AH.