Allah (may He be exalted) says: {Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship} [al-Baqarah 2:185] and {and [He] has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty} [al-Hajj 22:78]. These two verses form a principle in Islamic teachings: with regard to any issue that could result in hardship and difficulty, a concession to ward it off may be granted on the basis of this principle. In this hadith, Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used topray Jumu‘ah early if it was very cold, because the beginning of the time for Jumu‘ah comes when the sun has just begun to decline, and the temperature is at its highest, then the temperature begins to drop as time goes by. Hence the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to offer this prayer without delay on cold days, so that the Muslims would come out for the prayer at the warmest time.But when it was very hot, he would delay the prayer until it had cooled down somewhat, out of kindness and compassion towards the believers. This is the Sunnah with regard to Zuhr in general, not only Jumu‘ah prayer. In the report of Bishr ibn Thabit, it is stated that the reason why Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned the hadith was in response to a question from the governor, al-Hakam ibn Abi ‘Aqil al-Thaqafi, who was the governor of Basra; he asked him about the time when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed Zuhr; this question came after the governor had led them in praying Jumu‘ah..