Just days before he migrated to Australia last month, the late Pesh Imam Hafiz Musa Patel told his friends and followers to forgive him if he did or said anything wrong to them.

Mr Patel, who died from gunshot wounds he suffered when two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, were attacked by an Australian man last Friday, also told his friends and followers that he would always be there for them in their time of need.

This was confirmed by the Pesh Imam of the Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji’s Mosque in Maururu, Ba, Alim Muhiyidheen Shah Faizi, who was present at that gathering.

Although he was not born in Fiji, Mr Patel won a lot of hearts after arriving in Fiji in 1989 from Gujarat and taking up his position of Pesh Imam at the Fiji Muslim League’s Lautoka Jame Masjid.

Mr Faizi, 57, who came to Fiji from Kerala in India in 1991, first met Mr Patel at a function at the association’s mosque in Maururu.

“He (Mr Patel) was a very humble person, religious, a good speaker, he had good public relations and he always used to be the main speaker at our mosque in Ba during the Miladunnabi jhalsa,” he said.

“We had a farewell function for him at our mosque a few weeks before he left for Australia on February 23 and I last met him three days before he left at a function in Sabeto, Nadi.

“In his last speech at that function in Sabeto, he told us to to accept whatever he said in his speeches at different functions and to follow the teachings of Allah.

“He also told us to forgive him for whatever wrong he may have said or done and that he will always be there for us. He told the gathering to just let him know whenever we needed him.”

Mr Faizi said the association had thought of inviting Mr Patel as the main speaker for the Miladunnabi jhalsa in November this year, but unfortunately he passed away.

“We will definitely miss him. To find someone like him will be hard because of his character and the relationship he had with the public,” he said.

“We plan to send two people from our association for the funeral provided they get their visas,” Mr Faizi said.

The association had a special prayer for the late Mr Patel at its mosque in Ba on Sunday.

Edited by Percy Kean