It is understood from his statement, “or harm from rain,” that if one is not harmed by it—such as when the rain is light—then he has no excuse; rather, he must attend. Whatever slight hardship he experiences, he will be rewarded for it.

His statement, “and from a severe cold wind on a dark night”: this is the eleventh category of excuses for missing the Friday and congregational prayers: wind, subject to certain conditions:

First: the wind must be cold, for a hot wind involves neither harm nor hardship. In our region, cold winds are those that come from the north, because we are now closer to the North Pole than to the South Pole. In the southern part of the earth, however, cold winds are those that come from the south.

Second: it must be severe, for a light wind entails neither hardship nor harm, even if it is cold. Thus, when the wind is cold and severe, it is undoubtedly an excuse, because it causes greater pain than rain.

Third: it must occur on a dark night. There is no evidence for this condition, because the hadith of Ibn Umar—on which they relied—states, “on a cold or rainy night” (1), without stipulating that the night be dark. Moreover, darkness or light has no bearing on this matter: darkness does not increase the coldness of the air, nor does clear weather increase the warmth of the air at night.