Hundreds of people gathered at a mosque in Melbourne's south-east to farewell Numan Haider on Friday.

The body of the 18-year-old terror suspect, having been taken to the Doveton mosque on Thursday afternoon, lay inside the faded yellow brick building.

Grieving friends and relatives - men, women and children - started to arrive long before the 1pm prayer and embraced in the asphalt carpark.

One man pulled a black mask over his face to hide his identity from the growing number of media across the road.