‘We were trying to save people’: The final moments of Bondi security guard Faraz Tahir

In the days since, he has had trouble sleeping as he tries to come to terms with what happened.

“I can’t forget that. It was unimaginable,” Taha said. “To think about it, it is very painful. It has been like two weeks, I can’t sleep properly … Lots of nightmares.”

Family members prayed around Tahir’s open casket in the Mosque’s Khilafat Centenary Hall before funeral prayers were held outside.

As an Ahmadiyaa Muslim, Tahir was persecuted growing up in the province of Punjab and had sought asylum– first in Sri Lanka and then in Australia. He had lived in Brisbane before moving to Parramatta.

His brother, Mudascar Bashir, said he had not seen him for six years, but the family spoke on the phone often.

“He said ‘I’m okay, I’m good, I’m happy. This is a good country, I will settle here and spend a good life here because this country is free and I have freedom here’,” Bashir said.

Speaking before the funeral prayer, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed the nation’s thanks to Faraz Tahir for his brave actions.

“We grieve for the long and happy life he should have had the chance to make here in Australia … we mourn for all the possibilities stolen from him and stolen from this wonderful community,” Albanese said.

He said his life in Australia was defined by giving back to the nation and the sense of obligation he felt to the nation which had given him refuge.

“And on that devastating Saturday afternoon at Bondi Junction, he gave his life, running towards danger to protect people he had never met.

“Without doubt, he helped save lives that day. And without question, Faraz Tahir died a national hero.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns said Tahir helped his elderly neighbours and volunteered time on Clean Up Australia Day.

“When you hear the words they use to describe Faraz, it tells the story of his character,” Minns said. “They say he was kind, that he gave back, that he was happy, that he was hopeful, that he was looking forward to a brighter future here in Australia.

“[He] was a hero of our state. He will be remembered.”