Osman ibn Mazoun was one of the early Muslims who bore much torture and persecution for embracing Islam. At that time,the more people embraced Islam, the heavier the torture they received, so the prophet ordered those helpless adherents to emigrate to Abyssinia; among those was Osman ibn Ma'zoun.

 They were safe there, though they were faced with some pressures from the priests to change their religions. Also the feelings of being strangers and their poverty added to their sufferings but nothing worried them but the great prophet, whom they left behind facing the infidels alone, they were eager to be reunited with their great prophet.

It happened that false rumors were flown to them that the idolaters embraced Islam which means the end of the harassments that the idol worshippers used to launch against the new believers, they all collected their belongings and went back to their homeland but they found a hostile atmosphere, the idolaters were there waiting for them to heap more physical tortures on them.  

They were flared up with anger and rancor;  the moment they arrived, torture began again. Osman, benefitted by the law of protection that was a custom widely practiced among the Arabs. He became under the protection of Al-Waleed ibn Al'Mougera, one of the archenemies of the prophet, he became safe and sound and no one dared to cause any trouble to him.

   Seeing that those who were with him were being tortured, while he could go safe and sound, he rebuked himself saying

," How I can go safe and sound under the protection of one of the idolaters while my brothers are tortured!"  So, he decided to go to the man who declared that he was under his protection and said," Thank you, you have fulfilled what you have promised, I don't want to be under your protection anymore."

"Why? Did anyone harm you?" said the man

"No, but I prefer to be under God's protection, I don't want to be under the protection of any one save God." Said Osman ibn Mazoun

"So, let's go to the mosque to break my protection declaration in public the same way I declared it in public." Said the man

So they both went to the mosque where a large number of people were sitting.

"This man has just come back to me to say that he doesn't need my protection anymore." Said the Osman ibn Mazoun

"That is right, he did fulfill what he abided  himself by, but I don't like to seek refuge with anyone save God, so I acquit him of his pledge." Said Osman ibn Mazoun

There were a group of people sitting, they were listening to poetry, the poet said:

"Everything except God is to be perished"

"You are right" Said Osman ibn Mazoun

"All joys are ephemeral" said the poet

"You are liar because the joys in the paradise are not." Said Osman ibn Mazoun

Here the poet felt that he was hurt, so he said

," How I can be hurt while I am sitting among you (idolaters)?"

Driven by his grudge towards Muslims, one of the idolaters bounced over Osman and buffeted him on his eye and it was badly harmed.

On seeing this, Al-Waleed ibn Al'Mougera said to him:

 "Wasn't your eye safe against what befell it? It was under heavy protection." Said the Osman ibn Mazoun

"I swear my sound eye is in need of what befell to its sister (the already harmed eye) for the cause of God, and I am under the protection of God the Almighty." Said Osman ibn Mazoun

"My Son, don't worry, you can be under my protection once again." Said the Al-Waleed ibn Al'Mougera

"No, I don't want." Said Osman ibn Mazoun

This real story shows how the early Muslims not only were tortured but even they found pleasure in this torture as long as it was for the cause of God.