Explanation of the verse: “And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge.”

The Shaykh : Here in the Noble Qur'an is a verse that includes the fact that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) prohibited insulting the polytheists, fearing that these polytheists would retaliate by insulting the Lord of the Muslims in enmity without knowledge. The meaning of the verse is as follows:
Abu Malik:

The Shaykh : You are correct. When we pause at this verse, the rule we mentioned becomes clear with no ambiguity: the forbidden is divided into two categories. Insulting a polytheist by a Muslim is not a problem, because they claimed a partner for Allah (Mighty and Majestic). If a Muslim insults this polytheist between himself and his Muslim brothers, there is nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, if a Muslim insults his Muslim brother, this is, as you know, from the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): As for a Muslim insulting a disbelieving polytheist, there is nothing wrong with that. Nevertheless, our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) prohibited Muslims from insulting polytheists, fearing that these polytheists would retaliate by insulting Allah in enmity without knowledge. This is to block the door to insulting the polytheist, for it is not permissible for a Muslim to open that door. The Exalted said, “Do not insult.” This prohibition in such a verse is known among jurists as being from the category of sadd al-dhara'i' (blocking the means to harm), meaning blocking the door to insulting the polytheist regarding the Lord of the worlds. If a Muslim insults a polytheist and it does not result in the polytheist retaliating by insulting the Muslim, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. This is in the Noble Qur'an.