Reason For Differences Of Opinion In Understang Hijab Directives
Two factors for wrong understanding and practice: Quran was not understood in its context. each verse is taken as a separate verse and trend to generalisation was more in fashion. The Arab culture never asked women to hide their faces and stay at home. you can read a very good book written by Dr Mazhar Yasin Siddiqui, “Rasool Akram awr Khawateen Aik Samaaji Mutala” in which he tells that except for the prophet’s wives, other women used to participate in all the social and economic activities of that time, so much so, they held official posts too. and parda was not observed as it is now observed. Parda as we see in now grew over time after interaction with other nations, whose elite used to keep their women hidden. ordinary women never observed this parda, nor do they no now.
For this you need to consult the Tafaseer of every age or at least the prominent ones. Tabri, Kashaaf, Kabeer, Rooh al Maani, Maarif ul Quran, Tafheem ul Quran etc. Such trends were always present, even in the companions of the prophet. The great Mufssarin show all these trends in their exegeses. They refute an interpretation on the basis of context at times. but for some reasons, whose details are many and need extensive studies, contextual meanings started getting less attention.