In the Prophet’s view, idealism was something to be striven for with reference to one’s own thoughts and conduct, but in one’s dealings with others one had to resort to pragmatism. This was an important principle evolved by the Prophet, and his entire life was as an illustration of it.

There was a notable instance of his using this approach when the Peace Treaty between the Muslims and the Quraysh was being drawn up. When the Prophet (PBUH) dictated these words:

‘This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God; the Qurayshi delegate raised the objection that they did not believe in his prophethood, and demanded that the wording should be changed from Muhammad, the Messenger of God, to Muhammad, the son of Abdullah. The Prophet realized that if he insisted upon retaining the words ‘Messenger of God,’ the peace treaty might never be finalized. So he had the words ‘Messenger of God’ deleted, and in their place was written simply ‘Muhammad, son of Abdullah.’ (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1784)

The great success achieved by the Prophet in Arabia owes much to this method of dealing with delicate situations. There are innumerable people in this world and everyone enjoys freedom. That is why no great success can be achieved here without adopting the ways of pragmatism.

Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace, was undoubtedly a highly successful man. However, this extraordinary success was achieved through following certain high principles and adopting the path of pragmatism when necessary.

Source: The True Face of Islam