[DenisLevvin]

I have a question regarding the pronunciation of the arabic letter ض (daad) ... the letter which appears in the last ayat of Surah Fatiha - 'waladdaaalleeen'. I have heard indian and pakistani reciters recite the daad as a very soft letter (almost like a light letter zhaa ظ as in zhulm) - with almost do 'd' sound (as in daal). However, every single non indian or pakistani reciter I have heard recites the ض (daad) with the 'd' sound (as in daal).

I find it strange that every single qaari outside of india and pakistan recite harf daad in one manner, while many indian and pakistani qaris and alims recite it in a different manner.

I asked an alim once and he said that atleast in pakistan it was a sectarian issue .. where deobandis would recite it in the very light way, and the barelwis would recite it in the arab style. He said that you could tell who was a deobandi and a barelwi by just watching out for how they pronounce the daad (ض).

What's up with this weird indopak pronounciation of it, and why do they insist on pronouncing it in that manner that they do? Proof?