A MUCH-LOVED Muslim shopkeeper murdered in a street attack in Glasgow praised his “beloved Christian nation” in a final poignant message on social media.
Asad Shah died last night after being found seriously injured outside his store in Shawlands.
Police are investigating the death which has left another man in hospital.
The popular shopkeeper posted Easter greetings on his Facebook page hours before he died.
The message read: "Good Friday and a very Happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation... Let's follow the real footstep of beloved holy Jesus Christ and get the real success in both worlds."
The 40-year-old, who ran Shah's newsagents on Minard road, was found seriously injured and taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he later died.
Locals, shocked at his death, have been laying flowes at the scene in tribute.
Julie McRea, whose son worked as a paperboy at the shop as a youngster, said: " I just can't believe it.
"He was just such a kind man. He helped out my family when my kids were having difficulty.
"He was a man of great wisdom. He'd send us all these amazing cards at Christmas and Easter with messages of peace.
"He helped my youngest daughter when he was having difficulty at school.
"I just can't believe this has happened in our area.
"He was a huge part of the community."
Another local, Sarah Gibbons, said Asad "did above and beyond what a shopkeeper should" for many people in the area.
She laid flowers at the scene near the tragedy and left a card saying 'A big thank you' in tribute.
She said: "He always delivered my aunty's paper and my nana's paper for years.
"He was the nicest man.
"I can't believe it. I cannot imagine what his family must be feeling.
"You couldn't ask for a nicer guy, I can't believe it has happened.
"Everyone loves him, everyone in the whole neighbourhood."
The incident happened at 9.05pm at Minard Road near to the junction with Waverley Gardens.
One resident, who saw the aftermath of the attack, said: " This kind of thing just doesn't happen around here, we're so shocked by it.
"Shah was such a nice guy, he was so friendly.
Mourners continued to visit the scene and lay floral tributes, many in tears as they visited.
Locals are to hold a silent vigil tonight at 9pm to pay their respects to the shopkeeper.
A fund has also been set up to support Mr Shah's family and cover his funeral costs.
In less than an hour, more than £600 has been raised by locals who want to pay their respects to the "one in a million" shopkeeper.
Karyn McAllister wrote on the fundraising page that the tragic shopkeeper was "a true gentleman".
Another donor wrote: "I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Shah and he was a true gent. One in a million who will be truly missed."
The Scottish Grocers' Federation (SGF) has expressed its utter dismay at the horrific death of Glasgow shopkeeper Asad Shah.
SGF President Abdul Majid said: "Our thoughts are with Mr Shah's family and I can say that if there is anything we can do to assist them through our benevolent fund we will do so with the utmost urgency."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article