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Question

Assalamualikum
I am having difficulty pronouncing dwad. Can you please guide me .When I use the correct articulation point I get the sound of zwad not dwad. The only  way I can get it out is by using my anterior tongue.  I have also read the common mistakes at your Web site and the link given for the pronunciation of dwad in answered questions. When I hear it the sound is coming like a dwad. What should I do?
JazakAllah-u-khairun

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

The letter  is one that takes a lot  dua’ and practice to perfect.   If the sound is coming out like a “z” (zwad), then the articulation point is not correct.  If one uses the anterior or tip portion of the tongue, the  has changed into a , usually the student doing this puts tafkheem on the , so it does not sound completely like a , but it is not the correct sound.  The letter also comes from the tip of the tongue, so it seems like you may be using the tip along with or instead of the sides of the tongue.  There is no “w” sound in the, so care should be taken that you do not put your mouth in a dhammah when trying to pronounce the , unless of course there is a dhammah on the letter. 

As stated in the question, there are many previous questions and answers about the correct articulation point for the letter.   The best thing is to find a teacher mastered in tajweed to listen to you and look at you and correct you based on the sound and view of your mouth.  Also listening to recordings of mastered shuyookh such as Sheikh Al-Husary and Sheikh Abudllah Bafsar should help.  We will put some links here in case you did not see all of them.  The explanations given in the tidbit lesson and answers to the questions in the links are complete in description, but a good teacher is needed in addition to the complete explanations you will find in the following links: 

http://www.abouttajweed.com/sidetongue.htm

http://www.abouttajweed.com/270203.htm

http://www.abouttajweed.com/new_page_16.htm

http://www.abouttajweed.com/240805.htm

http://www.abouttajweed.com/101204.htm

http://www.abouttajweed.com/251002.htm

http://www.abouttajweed.com/10070102.htm

 Wa iyyaakum. Wa assalaam alaikum.