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With tributes pouring in for the 50 innocent lives lost in result of the Christchurch mosque terror attacks, the world is honoring the victims by shedding light on the stories of each victim that will be remembered always.
Seventy-one-year-old Nabi was the first one to get shot by the white supremacist with his last words welcoming his killer into the mosque saying “Hello Brother.” He has been said to always be present at the entrance welcoming people inside, accompanied by his granddaughter.
Nabi had sought refuge in New Zealand after escaping the war in Afghanistan in 1977.
The 33-year-old Palestinian refugee who was a goalkeeper for the New Zealand national futsal team left behind a young daughter and a wife.
According to reports he was the founder of the Christchurch mosque and had raised funds to create a safe community space for the Muslims in the area.
Hailing from Pakistan, 50-year-old Naeem has been hailed a hero around the world after he witnessed his own son getting shot by the attacker and tried to tackle him with his bare hands in order to save other worshippers, subsequently losing his life as well.
Naeem had been a university professor in Christchurch and had moved to Christchurch from Abbottabad in Pakistan.
The 21-year-old son of Naeem who also embraced martyrdom in the twin mosque terror attacks had been enrolled at a local university and was attending the Friday congregational prayer with his father.
He had moved with family to New Zealand at the age of 11.
After fleeing war and terror in his battle-weary ISIS influenced country Syria, Mustafa had taken refuge in New Zealand with his family to lead a safe and prosperous life in 2018.
He had attended the Friday prayers during which he lost his life, accompanied by his two sons Hamza and Zaid.
Fourteen-year-old son of Khaled Mustafa had been present at the mosque at the time of the massacre with his father and younger brother Zaid.
While Hamza and his father perished in the brutal attack, his mother confirmed that the younger brother, Zaid had been injured but is fortunately in a stable condition now. However, Zaid is still unaware that he lost his brother and father amidst the massacre.
The youngest of the Christchurch victims, three-year-old Mucad got lost in the ruckus as the gunman opened fire at Al Noor Mosque due to which he got separated from his brother and father who he was accompanied with.
His father pretended to be dead after getting shot while his brother Abidi had fled from the attack and remained safe.
Mohamedhosen, 54, was born in Mauritius. He was killed in the Linwood Masjid Mosque.
Forty-two-year-old Parvin had died a hero while protecting her wheelchair-bound husband Fariduddin Ahmed.
While the terrorist was aiming for her husband she had jumped in front of him taking the bullets.
The couple had moved from Bangladesh to New Zealand after 1994.
Forty-year-old Haroon had left Pakistan to pursue an education at New Zealand’s Lincoln University.
He had earned his PhD recently and was an assistant academic director at Canterbury College.
He leaves behind a wife and two children, 11 and 13 years old.
The 34-year-old was known to be loved by many having a large group of friends who cherished him.
Ali worked as a lead developer and was highly respected by his colleagues.
His wife Amna is still residing in Karachi along with their children. His wife had last spoken to her husband on Friday before the appalling incident unfolded.
After living most of his life in Fiji, Hafiz had moved to New Zealand merely weeks before the terror attack occurred at the Christchurch mosque.
He was greatly revered amongst the Muslim communities of Fiji and New Zealand as a scholar and leader.
He had also been an inspiration to many for having memorized the words of the Holy Quran.
Hailing from Bangladesh’s Kurigram district, Samad had served as a lecturer at the country’s Agricultural Development Corporation and had moved later to New Zealand with his wife and two sons.
In New Zealand he worked at the Lincoln University as a visiting professor.
His brother informed Al Jazeerah that he used to lead the prayers at the Al Noor mosque.
Twenty-six-year-old Areeb had travelled to Christchurch only recently and had been working as a chartered account at a firm.
Reports have revealed that he had taken up the job in New Zealand to support his family and was said by his uncle to have been deeply religious.
"His smile, warmth, dedication, respect and humor will be deeply missed," his company had stated honoring his death.
Fifty-eight year-old Hamid had immigrated from Indonesia and was one of the 50 that perished amidst the massacre.
Hamid had worked with New Zealand’s national carrier Air New Zealand as an aircraft manager since the past 16 years.
He has left behind his wife Nina, and two children named Gerin and Zhania.
After remaining missing for a day after the attacks, 37-year-old Osama from Palestine had been confirmed dead by the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Reportedly hailing from the Gaza strip, Osama was said to have resided in Egypt prior to New Zealand and was in the middle of the process of acquiring a citizenship in New Zealand.
His brother Youssef had been notified of the attack in Christchurch and had immediately called him up but his phone was switched off and that is when he describes that ‘hell started’ for all of the family.
Working as a production manager at US-based chemical company, Sohail had moved to Christchurch from Lahore, Pakistan.
Sohail had gotten his degree in chemical engineering from Pakistan’s Punjab University.
He is said to have been a family-oriented person who loved his wife and children deeply.
Thirty-year-old Farhaj moved to New Zealand from Hyderabad, India and had left his wife Insha Aziz and three-year-old daughter and seven-month-old son at home to attend the Friday congregational prayer when he fell prey to the gunman.
Farhaj had been working as a software engineer and was amongst the eight other Indians who passed away during the terror attack.
Born and raised in Abu Dhabi, Hussein had lost his life trying to protect his fellow worshippers at the Al-Noor mosque.
The 36-year-old from roots in Iraq was said to have been full of life and had moved to Christchurch in 1997 with his family.
Ashraf, 58, had been a businessman from Suva in Fiji and had landed in New Zealand only six days prior to the horrific attack to visit his elder brother who lived in Christchurch.
Ashraf was the owner of a taxi company in Australia and was famously known as ‘the jack of all trades.’
Youngest of nine siblings, he was known amongst his close friends and family members lovingly by the name of ‘Babu.’
Twenty-five year-old, Ansi, from India was ecstatic to graduate with a master’s degree in the field of agribusiness management but could not live to see the big day.
She had lived in New Zealand with her husband Abdul Nazer.
Ansi had escaped the mosque with some women and children when the attacker opened fire but returned in search of her husband but was shot through a fence near the gunman’s car. While she survived the first bullet and lied down struggling to breathe, she was shot once again which eventually killed her.
Her 34-year-old husband on the other hand, had managed to escape early on during the attack and had gone to a nearby house to call the police. When he returned the mosque was filled with bloodied bodies lying everywhere.
Sixty-four year-old Linda had embraced Islam in her fifties and was a third-generation Kiwi, raised in West Aukland.
Known as a ‘story-swapper’, Linda was said to have a knack of easily connecting to anyone from any background and was known amongst her family and friends to be in possession of a huge heart.
Seventy-seven-year-old Muse was a teacher at Al Noor mosque of religious studies and was amongst the 01 to have fallen.
He lived in Christchurch with his wife Muhubo Ali Jama since the past 30 years and had no children.
Those who knew him revealed that he treated his students as his own children and was a recipient of love from all around the community as he gave ample love back to them.
He had reportedly played a massive role in rebuilding the Al Noor mosque in 2011 subsequent to an earthquake.
Hailing from Bangladesh, Bhuiya was a welder in Addington’s AMT Mechanical and was known to have lived a simple life in Christchurch to save money to support his family.
He had married only recently and had plans of bringing his wife to New Zealand as well.
Sixty-three-year-old Karam Bibi received martyrdom along with her husband and son at New Zealand’s Linwood Mosque.
According to her daughter she along with the other two members will be buried in New Zealand.
Karam and her husband were in New Zealand to visit their son who had moved there a year before.
She had been born and raised in Karachi while her parents had roots in Punjab, India.
Ghulam Hussain, 66, had been visiting New Zealand with his wife Karam Bibi to meet their son Zeeshan Raza.
All three members of the family had passed away after the gunman opened fire at the Linwood mosque.
His daughter Maryam Gul revealed that while she would not be able to attend their funerals, they will be laid to rest in New Zealand.
Hussain had also been raised in Karachi and was a retired official of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Thirty-eight-year-old Zeeshan received martyrdom alongside his parents at the hands of the shooter of Linwood mosque.
He had moved to the country from Pakistan in December of 2018 with a degree in mechanical engineering, specializing in motorcycles.
He, along with his father Ghulam Hussain and mother Karam Bibi will be laid to rest in Chirstchurch as revealed by her sister Maryam Gul who will not be present at the funeral.
Darwish, 38, had moved to Christchurch only six months prior and was one of the Palestinians who lost their lives in the attack.
While he worked in New Zealand, his wife and three children aged seven, five and two waited for their visa process to get through so they could join him in New Zealand.
Darwish had worked as a dairy farmer and had his brother Zuhair Darwish living with him in Christchurch.
Sixty-five-year-old Ali El-Madani had moved to New Zealand from United Arab Emirates in 1998 to develop his engineering career.
His wife and daughter, Maha, have said that Ali was the strongest force in their life.
His widow expressed her satisfaction for having received martyrdom while praying, surrounded by his friends.
Abukadir Elmi, 70, had been a proud father of nine children and had moved to New Zealand from Somalia almost 10 years ago.
He was said to have been loved by all in the community.
He leaves behind, five sons, four daughters and a widow who he had been with since the past 50 years.
Having moved to New Zealand from Bangladesh to establish a lively future was soon to welcome his child into the world.
The steel construction worker had recently visited his wife back in Bangladesh and was known to have been a quiet and polite individual by his colleagues.
He had left the construction site where he had been working to offer the Friday prayers where he was gunned down by the white supremacist.
Sixty-eight-year-old Gamal had migrated to New Zealand with his son Omar, back in 1996 and was one of the 50 victims to have lost his life in the terror attack.
After the death of his father his son had posted on Instagram saying: “The world has truly lost an angel on Earth.”
He was known amongst his community to have been a kind and loving soul.
Fifty-seven-year-old Amjad had moved to New Zealand from Palestine almost 23 years ago to build a better life.
He had worked in Christchurch as a heart surgeon, being a consultant in cardiorespiratory integrated specialist services at Canterbury District Health Board for 20 years.
He leaves behind his wife Hanan and two children, Hussam 22 and 20-year-old Mohammed.
Sixty-three-year-old Mohsen was the only victim of the Christchurch attacks to have survived the shooting and had later succumbed to his injuries during medical treatment at the hospital.
The attack on Mohsen had left his wife Manal, deeply stressed as she suffered a heart attack after she was unable to find him in the mosque.
In spite of doctors working hard to save his life, Mohsen passed away merely eight hours after getting hospitalized.
He was originally from Saudi Arabia and had been a resident of New Zealand since the past 25 years, working in water desalination.
He leaves behind his widow and son Feras Al-Harbi.
Thirty-year-old Mojammel from Bangladesh had moved to Christchurch three years before to pursue a career in healthcare as he was studying dentistry.
He was soon to tie the knot with his fiancé back in Bangladesh and had dreamt of opening up a dental clinic for the poor in his home country but had lost his life before he could.
Junaid, 36, had been running a corner dairy in Christchurch, a family business going strong since generations.
Two days after his death, his family resumed business at their Springs Rd Dairy in Hornby as the place had brought them income since the past 31 years.
Junaid’s twin brother Zahid had survived the attack with his wife as he was parking the car when the shooting began and fled as soon as he realized what was happening.
Junaid has left behind three children, five-year-old Nadiya, three-year-old Adam and Yusuf who was only one.
Hailing from Hyderabad in India, 24-year-old Kadir was an aviation student in Christchurch and been living there since the past one year.
He had aspired to becoming a commercial pilot and flying himself back to India.
Kadir had been born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia while additional reports have revealed that his parents Kadir Habib and Izzath Mahboob still reside in Hyderabad’s Noorkhan Bazar area.
Forty-seven-year-old Mohammad Imran Khan had belonged to Indian city of Hyderabad as well and was a restaurant owner in Christchurch.
His dream was to bring the taste of Biryani to the people of New Zealand and his restaurant Indian Grill offered that taste of home.
Six months prior to his death at the Linwood mosque, Imran’s family had lost his father in November as well.
He was known amongst the community, friends and family to have been extremely hardworking and kind.
Also from India, Maheboob, 65 was all set to return home to Ahmedabad from Christchurch the next day but had lost his life during the terror attack amidst the Friday prayers.
Mahebob had been an ardent Muslim and had never missed a prayer.
He had been a retired employee of Gujarat Electricity Board and had visited Christchurch to meet his son Imran Khokhar who had been living there since over a decade.
Only 14 years old, Sayyad had been given the title of ‘brave little soldier’ by his father John Milne who is deeply distressed about the untimely death of his son.
The young student of Cashmere High School’s year 10 had attended the congregational Friday prayers at the mosque regularly with his mother and friends.
His father recounts that his son was always unfairly treated and had always ‘risen above’.
Seventeen-year-old Muhammad was one of the 50 pronounced dead during the Christchurch shooting as he attended the Friday prayers with his family.
Hailing from Malaysia, Muhammad’s father had managed to survive the attack after receiving severe injuries.
As per reports, the teenager was known as a popular student in school and while he perished and his father sustained injuries, his mother Marina Binti Zahari and younger brother who were also present did not get hurt physically.
Seventy-year-old Moustafa was known to have a specific corner in the Al Noor mosque where he always prayed and where he had been when he was gunned down.
He had moved to New Zealand with his family from Egypt 20 years ago and had lost his life among the best of his friends in the mosque.
Moustafa had worked as an accountant but after retirement he had spent much of his time at the mosque being an ‘active volunteer.’
He was also said to have taught Arabic to non-Arabs and had also been teaching the Quran to many people.
He has left behind three children, a daughter and two sons who live in America.
Known for his humility, 24-year-old Tariq was a star athlete and was known to be a ‘curious’ and intelligent soul.
According to his friend Abbey, his mother had dropped him off at the mosque and pulled around back and hearing the gunshots, fled from the scene waiting for her son to come out.
Tariq was known to be a devoted follower of Islam and had been a football coach in Christchurch.
He originally hailed from Singapore.
Abdulfatteh, 59, had booked his flight to Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday to visit his first-grandchild but was brutally killed by the terrorist in Christchurch two days later.
With roots in Egypt, he had been one of the most esteemed elders of the community and was a recognized interpreter for immigrants from the Middle East.
He had also served formerly as the secretary of the Muslim Association of Canterbury and was known amongst his peers for his wisdom.
The 55-year-old Afghan-born victim’s death was confirmed by the Afghanistan Embassy amidst the Christchurch terror attack.
Safi had been dwelling in New Zealand since the past nine years and had worked several jobs over the period.
He is said to have left behind seven children including six sons and a daughter.
Those around him remember him as a kind and humble man who always helped those in need.
Mounir was one of the four Egyptians to have fallen prey to the Christchurch attack.
The 68-year-old worked as a design engineer in Christchurch in 1997 and had never missed a prayer as he was deeply religious, practicing his religion even at his workplace.
He had no children and has left behind his wife Ekram.
Arif 58, and his wife Rukhsana had flown from Gujarat in India to Christchurch soon after hearing the news of their grandchild who was about to enter the world.
Their son Ramiz had been living in New Zealand prepping up to welcome a child into the world and had visited the Al Noor mosque to offer prayers with his father when the massacre unfolded taking the life of Arif and Ramiz, both.
Arif is survived by his widow.
Born on April 24, 54-year-old Ashraf had lost his life in the Christchurch terror attacks at Al Noor mosque.
Hailing from Egypt, Ashraf held both his Egyptian passport as well as his New Zealand citizenship.
Ashraf was amongst the four Egyptians confirmed dead amidst the massacre.
Hailing from Gujarat and living in Christchurch with his pregnant wife, 28-year-old Ramiz was elated to have his parents in the country as he was about to embark on the journey of fatherhood.
However, Ramiz breathed his last before meeting his daughter who was reportedly born prematurely to his wife Khushbu soon after the terror attack and is still in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the local hospital.
Ashraf Alie, 61, was the second victim hailing from Fiji to have received martyrdom as a result of the barbaric attack.
His friends and family remember him having an infectious laugher and a good sense of humor but remained mostly quiet.
He was loved by all in his community.
Note: These are the stories of 50 people whose identities have been confirmed by the New Zealand Police.