Tahir, 30, was stabbed to death during Joel Cauchi’s rampage inside the Westfield shopping centre on April 13, which killed six people and injured 12 others.
Tahir’s family issued the statement as they landed in Sydney from Pakistan ahead of a memorial service, which will be held at Baitul Huda Mosque in Marsden Park tomorrow.
“Faraz will be dearly missed by the whole family and community,” his older brother Muzafar Tahir said.
“Today is his 31st birthday and the family have seen his body for (the) first time.
“We would like to thank the Australian public for showing love and compassion to a stranger, who became a hero.”
”We were on that floor alone – all of a sudden, we heard some noises and people screaming, there were people running,” Taha told 9News last week.
“We didn’t (know) about the attacker, we didn’t know how many were dead or what was going on.
“People were running away in the opposite direction.”
Taha was also stabbed but is making a steady recovery.