Distributing water and tea to passersby

Unique Ashura procession for hearing-impaired in Dhi Qar

DHI QAR – Gathered around a modest setup inside a lit-up and fanned tent, decorated with dark cloth bearing slogans such as “O’ Hussein,” hearing-impaired and mute individuals in Souq Al-Shuyukh, Dhi Qar governorate, commemorate Ashura with a distinctive procession.

Organized annually since 2008, this procession is marked by its quiet solemnity, using sign language to commemorate the death of Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the third Shia imam, who was killed in the seventh-century Battle of Karbala by the Umayyad troops.

Participants provide services to visitors and mourners on Al-Baladiyah Street in the city center. Led by a dedicated group of hearing-impaired and mute individuals, the procession operates with modest resources.

“We are a group of hearing-impaired and mute individuals in Souq Al-Shuyukh,” said Sayyed Ali Al-Moussawi, the leader of the procession, through sign language to 964media. “We gather a small amount of money among ourselves each month. Some contribute through key cards.”

Members save small amounts of money each month, ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 dinars ($2 to $4) to use for this Muharram procession. Even those without regular incomes donate what they can.

The procession distributes water and tea to passersby to earn spiritual rewards. It also holds a nightly mourning assembly at 11 p.m. during the first ten nights of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

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