MORE than 1,000 mourners gathered today to pay their respects to a Bradford businessman who died from a stab wound after a disturbance.

Family, friends and community members gathered at the Al-Jamia Suffa-Tul-Islam mosque on Horton Park Avenue for the funeral of ice cream company boss Sarfraz Nawaz Khan, 35.

Mr Khan, a father-of-four who helped run ice cream van firm Rossi's Ices, died following an incident on Cecil Avenue, which is a short walk from the mosque.

Flowers which spelled out 'Brother', 'Dad' and 'Son' had been placed in the hearse before it arrived at the mosque this afternoon.

Prayers were said inside the mosque and mourners filed past the coffin to pay their respects.

Imam Shaykh Mohammed Habib-ur-Rehman Mahboobi quoted a chapter from the Koran which urges followers to spend their time on earth wisely.

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A mosque spokesman said: "He (the imam) talked about the importance of life and the importance of not wasting time. He said that time is precious and to make sure that it is used well."

Mourners who filed out of the mosque said the message they had taken from the imam was the importance of following their faith.

"If we follow Islam properly, we would not have these kind of incidents," said one mourner.

He added: "People have not followed the teachings of Islam and this incident has happened. We should all reflect on this."

Friends of Mr Khan - who came from Bradford and further afield - were among those who attended.

Wasaf Ashraf, a childhood friend, said Mr Khan was a kind man who was always smiling.

"He was a very nice guy; always helpful and cheerful. He was always smiling and he did his work and he minded his business.

"I have known him since childhood as we went to the same school and the same mosque. Every time I saw him he would force an ice cream on me. He was a man who was a good talker and a good listener. He was a well respected guy."

Brother Kamran Khan said he was overwhelmed by the number of people who had attended the funeral.

A burial service took place after the service at the mosque.

A spokesman for the mosque thanked West Yorkshire Police for their assistance in policing the funeral.

Mr Khan died after an altercation on Cecil Avenue on Thursday April 14.

Mohammed Ali Nassar, 31; Amir Ali, 19; Tariq Mahmood, 26; Sajid Hussain, 32; and 38-year-old Amjid Ali, all of Cecil Avenue, Great Horton, are charged with the murder of the father-of-four, and the attempted murder of Aftab Khan in the same incident.

Nassar is also charged with wounding Mohammed Idris Khan with intent.