Prophet Hud (a.s.) used to farm. Once, a group of people came to his house to meet him. His wife came to the door and asked:
“Who is it?”
They replied, “We have come from such and such city, which has been afflicted with famine and we are on the verge of destruction. We have come to Prophet Hud (a.s.) to request him to pray for the rains.”
The wife of Hud (a.s.) remarked, “If his prayers had been answered, he would have prayed for himself; his own crops are withering away due to lack of water.”
They persisted, “Where is he at present?”
She informed them of his whereabouts whereupon the group approached him and placed their request before him. Prophet Hud (a.s.) offered prayers and then supplicated, after which he turned to them and said, “ You may return for it has rained over your city.”
But as they sought to take his leave, they asked him, “When we approached your house we had come across a lady, who said: ‘If the prayers of Hud were to have been answered, would he not have prayed for himself?’
Prophet Hud (a.s.) said, “That woman is my wife and I pray to God to grant her a long life.” “Why do you pray so?” asked the people.
He replied, “God has not created a Mu’min except that He has also ordained an enemy for him to trouble him. This woman is my enemy and an enemy of whom I am the master, is better than an enemy, who happens to be my master.”( Namunah-e-Ma’arif, vol. 2, pg. 612.)