Abstract
Westerners, who are not acquainted with the remarkable role of shariah in the western enlightenment, are baffled when they see profound devotion for shariah in the Muslim societies. It goes without saying that it was the illumination of Shariah that lifted the western world out of its dark ages. This article makes a historical analysis of how Shariah ensured freedom of religion when Christians in Europe persecuted their coreligionists and levied unbearably heavy against them due to theological discrepancies. Additionally, it provides historical evidence for the fact that Shariah strongly emphasized the significance of inviolable human rights and civilization which upheld rule of law as one of its most important values. There is another major problem which the westerners associate with shariah and that is terrorism. This article repudiates such allegations and proves that Shariah strongly denounces indiscriminate slaughter of noncombatant civilians and bystanders. Finally, this article attempts to show that Shariah established a robust civil society which served as a vital source of inspiration for enlightenment in the west.