What was the concept of "God" among Arabs before the birth of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and how did they differentiate between Him and idols?

Pre-Islamic Arab societies did not deny the existence of God. Rather, they knew that there was a Lord, Creator, and Provider, and they affirmed the Oneness of Lordship (Tawhid (definition) al-Rububiyyah). However, their problem was polytheism in divinity (shirk (definition) al-uluhiyyah), as they worshipped other deities, claiming that these were intermediaries that would bring them closer to God, as the Holy Quran mentions in His Almighty saying: "And if you ask them who created them, they will surely say, 'Allah'," and "And those who take protectors besides Him [say], 'We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allah in station.'"