Dr Muhammad Taufiq Al Sattar made the comments at a funeral service for his wife Shehnila Taufiq, 47, and their three children, Zainab, 19, Bilal, 17, and Jamil, 15, in Dublin.
The 52-year-old, who is a devout Muslim and highly respected within the Islamic community in Ireland, led prayers for his family in front of 1,000 mourners.
The man, who previously thanked God for saving him from the blaze, said: ‘This is a very sad occasion for me. You can say now I am bird without any wings. I have nobody with me now.’
Eight people have been charged in connection with the deaths of the four family members, who died in the blaze at their home in Wood Hill, Leicester, on September 13.
Shaun Carter, 24, Jackson Powell, 19, and Nathaniel Mullings, also 19, as well as a 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, face four charges of murder in relation to the fire which started in the early hours.
Kemo Porter, 18, has also been charged with four counts of murder in relation to the blaze.
It is feared the family’s property was targeted by mistake in a revenge attack following a fatal assault in nearby Kent Street.
Dr Sattar was supposed to be in the house with his family on the night they died, but decided to stay in Dublin and spoke to his wife on the phone instead.
Speaking about the tragedy last month, he said: ‘Initially, I planned [to] come one day before so that I could spend an extra day with Jamil. But it was not possible,’ he said.
‘God did not want that I should be in the house … otherwise I could be burnt as well. God did not plan it like that.’
The Sattar family is highly respected within the Muslim community in Ireland. Mrs Sattar had brought their children to England to enable them to pursue Islamic studies.
The bodies of his family were brought into Dublin on an overnight ferry after about 7,000 people gathered in Leicester to pay their respects on Thursday.
The surgeon has vowed to continue on his work for the Muslim community and help to cement links between people of Islamic faith in Ireland and others.
His daughter Zainab had planned to train to become a primary school teacher and Islamic religious teacher and to live and work in Ireland.
Source: Mail Online