al-Ghazzali related in ‘Ihya’ ‘Ulum ad-Din’ (5/45):
Hattit az-Zayyat went to al-Hajjaj and when he entered, al-Hajjaj said to him: “You are Hattit?”
He answered: “Yes. Ask me what you want, as I have made a pact with Allah at the
Maqam of Ibrahim that I would do three things:
i) I will speak the truth if I am asked a question,
ii) I will remain patient if I am tested and
iii) I will be thankful if I am spared.”
So, al-Hajjaj said to him: “What do you think of me?”
Hattit replied: “You are from the enemies of Allah on Earth. You violate honor and kill based on suspicion.”
al-Hajjaj then asked him: “What do you say about ‘Abd al-Malik bin Marwan?”
Hattit replied: “He is worse than you, and you are simply one of his many mistakes.”
al-Hajjaj then ordered that he be tortured, and he was then beaten with sticks and had his flesh stretched out with them until it was torn.
His torturers didn’t hear him say anything, and they said to al-Hajjaj: “He is near death!”
So, al-Hajjaj said: “Let him go and throw him out into the marketplace.”
So, Ja’far (a friend of his) went to Hattit and said: “Hattit, do you want me to get you anything?”
He said: “A drink of water.”
So, the water was brought to him and he died, and he was only eighteen years old.
