The Letter "ض" Daad And Praying Behind
Those Who Mispronounce It

Question :

How is the letter "ض" Daad pronounced? Here in Pakistan and India, people pronounce it as a strong "d" sound. Others will pronounce it closer to the letter "," close to it, but different. Those who pronounce it according to the former opinion say that one should not pray behind someone who pronounces it according to the latter opinion, or that one's rewards for prayer are diminished. O group of scholars, please clarify how this letter should be pronounced, and what is the difference between it and the letter."

Answer:

First, the letter "ف" comes from the edge of the tongue )from either side), close to where the letter "ي" comes from. This letter is pronounced from the point on the edge of the tongue that is closest to the mouth. Hence the pronuncia- tions of this letter that you mentioned are incorrect.

Second, when someone is able to, he must pronounce this letter correctly; however, if one is incapable of pronouncing it correctly, his prayer is correct and he is excused, though he should not lead the prayer when someone else is present who pronounces it better. Because the letters "" and "" are so difficult to pronounce, and because it is difficult to distinguish between the two, there is more leniency regarding them than regarding other letters, something that Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir in his comments on Surat Al-Fatihah, and others have pointed out.

Source:
The Permanent Committee
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 7 Pages 54-55