M'sia groom, 21, loses family to car crash in 2023, Threads users help edit them into wedding photo

While celebrating one of the happiest days of his life, Abdur Rahman Amir Ruddin, 21, could not help but find himself thinking of those who were not there to share the moment.

The young Malaysian recently turned to social media to seek help editing his wedding photograph, not for aesthetic reasons, but to include the faces of his parents and siblings, all of whom died in a road accident several years ago.

Turning to the internet for help to edit wedding photograph

In a post on the Threads platform, Rahman shared his wedding image alongside an older family photo with his late family members, asking if anyone could help create a realistic composite of the two.

He said he hoped to frame the finished image and place it by his bed, so he could see his late family members every day.

The request quickly spread across the platform, with many users describing it as both heartbreaking and touching.

Malaysian media reported that hundreds of users came forward, offering both technical help and emotional support.

Family tragedy

Rahman’s story first became widely known after a fatal car crash on Sep. 1, 2023, which wiped out much of his immediate family, according to the New Straits Times.

The accident claimed the lives of his parents, Amir Ruddin Ismail, 46, and Noorahimah Noor Muhamad, 43, as well as four of his younger siblings, Fatimatulzahrah, 17; Seri Khadijah Aqilah, 13; Rufaidatul Asyariyah, 10; and Muhammad Assyakrawi, five.

Another brother, Abdullah, who was also in the vehicle at the time, survived and is now Rahman’s only remaining immediate family member.

Online response

After Rahman’s appeal was posted, social media users responded rapidly, with many submitting carefully edited images that accounted for lighting, attire and composition to ensure the final result appeared natural.

Rahman’s post accumulated more than 40,000 reactions within hours, along with thousands of reposts and shares.

Beyond the edited images, users also left messages of encouragement and congratulations, with emotional reactions dominating the comment section.

Many said they remembered Rahman’s case, with some even adding that it had reached audiences as far away as Indonesia back then, and offered congratulations on his wedding.

Others remarked on how touching it was to see all of the edited photographs, saying that it was deeply moving how online netizens had rallied together to make his wish a reality.

Top image via rahmanlah/Threads