Zahra Sharafi was a fourth-grade student.
Her father, Abdulrashid Sharafi, says:
“My nine-year-old daughter had a great love for learning and knowledge. Both in character and in her studies, she was among the outstanding students at the school. She was also active in art and Quran recitation. My Zahra had memorized twenty-six surahs of the Quran.
At home, too, she was a loving and beloved girl. She was so precious that everyone in the home called her Zahra Goli (flower), our little flower Zahra. No matter what I say about this daughter, it will still not be enough.
Martyrdom in the best month of God, on the anniversary of the passing of Lady Khadijah, while fasting, was the best reward Zahra received from God.”
Zahra’s father says that when the attack happened, he was at work.
“They called and said the school had been hit. Because of my duties, I did not leave my work at first, but our manager told me to go.”
He says that after returning from work that day, he had planned to take Zahra out and buy her a watch. But that never happened.
He also speaks of his son Mohammad, who studied at the same school and survived. Mohammad suffered serious injuries to his hand, leg, and back. At the time this interview was recorded, he had undergone several surgeries.
But Zahra had been injured so severely that she was identified only by her earrings.