Is severe wind on a dark, cold night a valid excuse for omitting congregational or Friday prayer?
Chapter on the Traveler's Prayer
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
Combining the Friday (Jumu'ah) and noon (Dhuhr) prayers, or the obligatory congregational prayers, is permissible during severe wind on a dark and cold night. This view is held to be the more sound position by Al-Amidi and is the opinion of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, as this condition constitutes a valid excuse for missing the Friday and congregational prayers. The evidence for this is the narration from Ibn Umar, stating that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) would have his caller announce on a rainy or cold, windy night: 'Pray in your dwellings.' This hadith was narrated by Ibn Majah via Muhammad ibn al-Sabbah.
Supporting text
The opposing view maintains that severe wind does not permit combining prayers because the hardship involved is less than the hardship presented by rain, making analogical extension (Qiyas) invalid. Furthermore, the hardship of wind is not of the same category as the hardship of rain, and since there is no established measure to group them together, it cannot be legally appended to the ruling for rain.