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I believe that if some of the pre-Islamic polytheists had seen someone insulting Allah the Almighty, they would have cut off that person’s neck—yes, some of them would have killed them. This statement may seem shocking at first, but the truth is that those who insult Allah are worse than the pre-Islamic polytheists in this regard.
The pre-Islamic polytheists held Allah the Almighty in great reverence in general terms. They had a fundamental concept of glorifying Allah, so much so that they justified their worship of idols by saying:
"We do not worship them except to bring us nearer to Allah in status." (Quran 39:3)
They acknowledged the existence of a Supreme God and worshipped their idols to draw closer to Him, Whom they revered in principle. In contrast, those who insult Allah the Almighty have completely lost this reverence.
Consider when Allah the Almighty said:
"Do not insult those they invoke besides Allah, lest they insult Allah in hostility without knowledge." (Quran 6:108)
What is the context of this verse? The Muslims used to insult the polytheists’ gods, saying, "These gods of yours neither harm nor benefit; how wretched these gods are!" and sometimes they would curse them. In response, the polytheists would retaliate by insulting Allah.
But did you know that when the polytheists retaliated with insults, they did not intend to insult Allah the Almighty Himself—the One they revered—but rather they meant to insult the God Whom Muhammad, peace be upon him, claimed had sent this religion? That is why Ibn Ashur—may Allah have mercy on him—explained that in such cases, when they insulted the God of the Muslims, they did not intend to insult Allah the Almighty (according to their belief in the Supreme Creator). Instead, it was as if they were saying, "We are insulting the God Who commanded Muhammad to bring this religion." Thus, their insults inadvertently became insults against Allah the Almighty.