In Palestine, a favourite dish made by the locals is Musakhkhan, a dish that is usually eaten using the hands and which literally means something of which is heated.

The dish is seasoned with sumac, a spice made from the ground dried berries and is sold in Middle Eastern shops, it has a slightly sour and tangy taste.

Musakhkhan is made by cooking chicken until tender and succulent with plenty of onions. You can use more spices, such as allspice or saffron, and garnish the top with fried pine nuts. Once the chicken is cooked, it is wrapped in shrak or marquq which is a type of thin Arabic bread.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 whole Halaal chicken (about 3 ½ pounds)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

My name's Tim and I am a non Muslim who fasted for a day last Ramadan.

I'm not a religious person, but something I do believe in is cultural integration, and that the best way to understand some one is to walk in their shoes once in a while.

I've been around people who were fasting at work and heard them describe getting up at 4am and eating a huge breakfast, then at the end of the day waiting until the sun goes down before hurrying into the nearest eatery on Wilmslow road. It looked hard, and it was something that someone like me has never had any reason to do. More than anything it was simple curiosity that that set the idea in motion.

I pray but my mind wanders off to things like football, TV, work etc. So is there any point of praying then?

Prayer is judged based on action as this is what a person can control. Of course a person's mind should be focused on what they are doing especially when it is worship.

However, Allah is the most Merciful and is fully aware that Shaitaan will try and discourage you from praying and therefore he will use all types of distraction.

Therefore a person should stick to their actions as this means you are worshipping Allah even though your desires are telling you otherwise, and InshaAllah you will be rewarded for your patience.

Slowly, these distractions will start to go away and one will obtain satisfaction, so one must not give up.

Shaykh Ibrahim was born and raised in Liverpool, England. Initially studying for three years in Syria and Mauritania he then had the opportunity to spend over six years in the city of Tarim, Hadramaut where he studied under the hands of many high calibre teachers of our time.

He was one of the founders of several Islamic initiatives including the Ibn Abbas Institute, Starlatch Press, Badr Language Institute and the Greensville Trust. He currently resides in Liverpool, England with his wife and two children.