Verses addressing the wives of our Prophet (pbuh)

We now need to make one important point very clear; the Qur’an contains verses addressing the wives of our Prophet (pbuh). In order to prevent strife and possible misunderstandings, God kept the wives of our Prophet (pbuh) separate from other women in his time. As it is revealed in the Qur’an:

Wives of the Prophet! You are not like other women provided you have piety. Do not be too soft-spoken in your speech lest someone with sickness in his heart becomes desirous. Speak correct and courteous words. Remain in your houses and do not display your beauty as it was previously displayed in the Time of Ignorance. Perform the prayer and pay alms and obey God and His Messenger. God desires to remove all impurity from you, People of the House, and to purify you completely. (Qur'an, 33:32-33)

In these verses, the wives of our Prophet (pbuh) have separate responsibilities on the subjects of life style, speech, clothing and the like; people looking at these verses sometimes interpret them as being generally addressed to all Muslim women. Yet these verses are not addressed to all Muslim women, and the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) are specifically set apart from other women.