MEHERALLY:

"The Jews say, ‘The Christians are not (founded) upon anything.’ And the Christians say, ‘The Jews are not (founded) upon anything.’ And yet THEY READ THE BOOK." S. 2:113

"When the Christians of Najran came to the apostle the Jewish rabbis came also and they disputed one with the other before the apostle. Rafi' said, ‘You have no standing,’ and he denied Jesus and the Gospel; and a Christian said to the Jews, ‘You have no standing’ and he denied that Moses was a prophet and denied the Torah. So God sent down concerning them: ‘The Jews say the Christians have no standing; and the Christians say that the Jews have no standing, and yet they read the scriptures. They do not know what they are talking about. God will judge between them on the day of resurrection concerning their controversy,’ i.e. each one reads IN HIS BOOK THE CONFIRMATION OF WHAT HE DENIES, so that the Jews deny Jesus though THEY HAVE THE TORAH in which God required them BY THE WORD OF MOSES TO HOLD JESUS TRUE; while IN THE GOSPEL IS WHAT JESUS BROUGHT IN CONFIRMATION OF MOSES AND THE TORAH HE BROUGHT FROM GOD: so each one denies WHAT IS IN THE HAND OF THE OTHER." (Alfred Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad [Oxford University Press, Karachi], p. 258; bold and capital emphasis ours)

Those to whom We have given the Book STUDY IT AS IT SHOULD BE STUDIED: They are the ones that believe therein: Those who reject faith therein,- the loss is their own. S. 2:121

"It is not for a man to whom is given the Book and wisdom and prophecy that he should then say to people, ‘Be worshippers of me in place of God.’ But rather, ‘Be true teachers, since you TEACH the BOOK and you STUDY IT EARNESTLY’." S. 3:79

And, behold, there are indeed some among them who distort THE BIBLE with their tongues, so as to make you think that [what they say] is from THE BIBLE, the while it is not from THE BIBLE; and who say, "This is from God," the while it is not from God: and thus do they tell a lie about God, being well aware [that it is a lie]. S. 3:78 (Asad, The Message of the Qur'an [Dar Al-Andaulus, Gibraltar, rpt. 1994], p. 157)

O followers OF THE BIBLE! ... O followers OF THE BIBLE!… S. 5:15, 19 (Asad, p. 144)

… And so We have cast enmity and hatred among the followers OF THE BIBLE ... If the followers OF THE BIBLE would but attain to [true] faith and God-consciousness, we should indeed efface their [previous] bad deeds, and indeed bring them into gardens of bliss; S. 5:64-65 (Asad, p. 157)

Say: "O followers OF THE BIBLE! You have no valid ground for your beliefs unless you [truly] observe the Torah and the Gospel, and all that has been bestowed on you by your Sustainer!" S. 5:68 (Asad, p. 158)

THE FOLLOWERS of THE OLD TESTAMENT demand of thee [O Prophet] that thou cause a revelation to be sent down to from heaven… S. 4:153 (Asad, p. 133)

... Furthermore, if one was to do the key-word search for the words BIBLE, OLD TESTAMENT or NEW TESTAMENT within the MAJORITY of the translated ENGLISH TEXTS of the Glorious Qur'an, the results would be ZERO ...

"The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, HIS BOOKS, and His messengers. 'We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His messengers.' And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (we seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys." S. 2:285

Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah. He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. And he shall be (of the company) of the righteous." She said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" He said: "Even so; Allah createth what He willeth: When He hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it, ‘Be,’ and it is! And Allah will teach him THE BOOK and Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel," S. 3:45-48

"O you who believe! believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book which He has revealed to His Messenger and THE BOOK which He revealed before; and whoever disbelieves in Allah and His angels and His messengers and the last day, he indeed strays off into a remote error." S. 4:136

Then will Allah say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favor to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee THE BOOK and Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel. And behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the Clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: ‘This is nothing but evident magic.’" S. 5:110

(To his son came the command): "O John! take hold of THE BOOK with might": and We gave him Wisdom even as a youth, S. 19:12

"But We had not given them BOOKS which they could study, nor sent messengers to them before thee as Warners." S. 34:44

We sent aforetime OUR MESSENGERS with Clear Signs and sent down WITH THEM THE BOOK and the Balance (of Right and Wrong), that men may stand forth in justice; and We sent down Iron, in which is great might, as well as many benefits for mankind, that Allah may test who it is that will help, Unseen, Him and His messengers: For Allah is Full of Strength, Exalted in Might. And We sent Noah and Abraham, and established in their line Prophethood and Revelation: and some of them were on right guidance, but many of them became rebellious transgressors. Then, in their wake, We followed them up with (others of) Our messengers: We sent after them Jesus the son of Mary, and bestowed on him the Gospel; and We ordained in the hearts of those who followed him Compassion and Mercy. But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them: (We commanded) only the seeking for the Good Pleasure of Allah; but that they did not foster as they should have done. Yet We bestowed, on those among them who believed, their (due) reward, but many of them are rebellious transgressors. S. 57:25-27

And Mary the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His BOOKS (Kutubihii), and was one of the devout (servants). S. 66:12

A Statement about the Torah, WHICH IS IN THE HANDS OF THE JEWS, with the Names of Their Books and Information about Their Scholars and Authors. When I asked one of their notable men about these matters, he said, "God, honor to His name, revealed to Moses the Torah IN FIVE FIFTHS, each fifth divided into two parts and each part into a number of farasat, which means surahs, with every farasah divided inot a number of absuqat, meaning verses."

He said that there is a book of Moses called the Mishnah, from which the Jews derive the science of the law, with the religious ordinances and judgments. It is a large book, its language being Kasdani [Sam- an old Babylonian form for the people of Chaldea] and Hebrew. In addition to that there were among THE BOOKS OF THE PROPHETS:

Among their books there are also:

Remarks about the Gospel of the Christians, the Names of Their Books, Their Scholars, and Their Authors

I asked Yunus the priest, who was an excellent man, about the books translated into the Arabic language which they expound and according to which they act. He replied, "Among them is the book Al-Surah (The Form) which is divided into two parts, the ‘Old Form’ and the ‘New Form.’" He also said that the "Old [Form]" was the ancient basis for the Jewish sect and the "New [Form]" for the sect of the Christians. He also said that the "Old [Form]" depends upon a number of books, the first of which is the Torah, WHICH IS FIVE SACRED WRITINGS. [Then follows] a compilation comprising a number of books, among which are:

"According to Hisham (b. Yusuf) - Khalid b. Sa'id - his father, Sa'id b. Amr b. Sa'id: When Amr b. Sa'id saw that the people looked up to Ibn al-Zubayr and were anxious to support him, he thought that these matters would end in his favor. He sent to Abdallah b. Amr b. Al-As, who was a companion of his, he had been with his father in Egypt. There he had read THE BOOKS OF DANIEL. At that time, Quraysh regarded him as a scholar." (History of Al-Tabari, The Caliphate of Yazid B. Mu-Awiyah , trans. I.K.A Howard [State University of New York Press], Volume 19, p. 193; bold emphasis ours)

[Note] 647. [on this page states,] This is probably a reference to the Old Testament.

MEHERALLY:

We must look elsewhere for the origin of the Muhammadan conception, and we find it once more in an apocryphal book, the "Testament of Abraham." This work seems to have been originally written in Egypt. It was known to Origen, and was probably composed either in the second century of our era, or not later than the third, by a Jewish convert to Christianity. It exists in two Greek recensions and also in an Arabic version. The resemblance between certain passages in this book and certain verses of the Qur'an and also later Muhammadan Tradition is too great to be merely fortuitous. This is especially observable in what is told us in the "Testament of Abraham" in reference to the "Balance." (Source)

Sprenger (quoted in Rodwell's Preface, p. xvii) thinks that Muhammad learnt the tales of 'Ad and Thamud from the Hanifs (see chapter vi of the present volume), and that the latter were Sabians and held sacred the "Volumes of Abraham" mentioned in Surah LXXXVII.,19 in which Apocryphal books these tales may have found place. But this can hardly be considered as proved. May not the "Testament of Abraham" (rediscovered a few years ago), of which we shall have to speak in chapter iv, be included among the Suhuf Ibrahim? (Source)

In Arabic the name for God “Allah” parallels the Hebrew Elohim and the name “Rabb” corresponds to the Hebrew Adonai (Lord) which the Jews used later to refer to Jehovah. When we examine the Qur'an we find that the name Rabb is never used in 11 Suras: 24, 48, 49, 58, 61, 62, 77, 88, 95, 104, and 112; and the name Allah is absent in 18 Suras: 54-56, 68, 75, 78, 83, 89, 92-94, 99, 100, 105, 106, 108, 113, and 114. In addition there are 10 very short Early Meccan Suras in which, like the Book of Esther in the Torah-Old Testament, the name of God is not mentioned at all.

Below is an analysis of the use of Allah and Rabb in Suras 48 to 64. I have chosen these 17 Suras because 8 of them are in the above lists.

Sura Number	Date of Sura	Times Allah used	Number of Verses	Times per Verse	Times Rabb Used	Times per Verse
48	6 AH	19	29	.65	0	0.
49	9 AH	27	18	1.50	0	0.
50	Early Meccan	1	45	.02	2	.04
51	Early Meccan	3	60	.05	5	.08
52	Early Meccan	3	49	.06	6	.12
53	Early Meccan	6	62	.10	7	.11
54	Early Meccan	0	55	0.	1	.02
55	Early Meccan	0	78	0.	36	.46
56	Early Meccan	0	96	0.	3	.03
57	8 AH	32	29	1.10	3	.10
58	5-7 AH	40	22	1.81	0	0.
59	4 AH	29	24	1.21	1	.04
60	8 AH	21	13	1.61	4	.31
61	3 AH	17	14	1.21	0	0.
62	2-5 AH	12	11	1.09	0	0.
63	4-5 AH	14	11	1.27	1	.09
64	1 AH	20	18	1.11	1	.06

When we look at this information we see that in Sura 55 the word Rabb was used 36 times - 31 of them along with the word “favors” (al-ala'). This word ala' is a rare word in the Qur'an being found only three other times - once in the Early Meccan Sura 53 and twice in the Late Meccan Sura 7. Furthermore, when we examine Sura 53:19-20, we find that it is the only Sura which mentions the three Goddesses Al-Llat, and Al-`Uzza, and Manat.

A higher critic who believes in the “documentary hypothesis” would now say,

We see here that Allah is used much less often during the Meccan period, never more than once in every 10 verses. While in the Medina period this name is used at least once a verse except for Sura 48.

In addition, the word ala' and the three idol goddesses are found only in these Meccan Suras. Therefore there must have been an early Meccan writer called “R” because he used “Rabb” as the name for God, but who was still interested in idols. Later there was a second writer called “A” who used “Allah” and wrote when pure monotheism had developed. It is true, of course, that in Sura 53, Manat, Al-Llat and Al-`Uzza are mentioned with disapproval, so these disapproving words must have been added at a later date by “Q” which stands for editing done by the “Qurra”.[23]

Next we find that there are four accounts in the Qur'an telling how the honored guests came to inform Abraham that he would have a son in his old age. The Early Meccan Sura 51:24-30 mentions how Abraham's wife didn't believe and said “a barren old woman”. This was obviously done by “R”. The Late Meccan Sura 15:51-56 tells how Abraham didn't believe the news and said, “Do you give me glad tidings that old age has seized me?” Since this is Late Meccan the “A” writer was starting to have an influence.

In the Late Meccan Sura 11:69-74 the two stories have been worked together by one of the “Q” editors and the fact is added that Abraham's wife laughed.

Finally there is the early Mid-Meccan account in Sura 37:99-103 which is really concerned with Abraham's sacrifice of his son. Since sacrifices are mentioned this represents another document which we will call the “D” document for (al-dabiha) sacrifice.

As the reader can see we easily made up a new four document theory for the origin of the Qur'an. We could call it the R,A,Q,D theory. Though this R,A,Q,D theory is completely fictitious it demonstrates the type of arbitrary reasoning used by the authors of the “documentary hypothesis”, and shows what would have happened if they had applied the same type of analysis to the Qur'an. (Campbell, The Qur'an and the Bible in light of History and Science, pp. 84-86)

"Relevant to this matter is a significant point which does not seem to have been noticed by Western scholars, namely that the word Allah does not occur in the earliest passages of the Qur'an, or does so only rarely. The relative dating of the Qur'an is, of course, a notoriously difficult matter about which Western scholars are not agreed, while few Muslims accept the Western approach to chronology. The absence of the word Allah in early surahs can be illustrated from the latest attempt to place the suras in chronological order, that of Regis Blach鑢e in his French translation. In what he reckons to be the first seventeen surahs, the word Allah occurs only three times, namely in his seventh (91:13), his tenth (95:8) and his sixteenth (87:7); and of these, he considers the verses 91:13 and 87:7 to be later than the rest of the surah. Instead of Allah, on finds ‘your Lord’ (rabbuka) as in 96:1,3 or ‘we’ as in 94:14. The word Allah occurs, of course, in the invocation at the beginning of each surah, but these would be added later.

The story of the ‘satanic verses’ ... shows the persistence of some confusion between Allah conceived monotheistically and Allah as a ‘high god.’ The truth of the story cannot be doubted, since it is inconceivable that any Muslim would invent such a story, and it is inconceivable that any Muslim would accept such a story from a non-Muslim. It also appears to be vouched for by a verse from the Qur'an (22:52). Many Muslims reject the story as unworthy of Muhammad, but there is nothing unworthy of him in holding that his knowledge and understanding of his ‘Lord’ developed during the early years of his prophethood as the revelation multiplied." (The History of al-Tabari, Volume VI - Muhammad at Mecca, translated and annotated by W. Montgomery Watt & M. V. McDonald [State University of New York Press, Albany 1988], pp. xxxiii-xxxiv; bold emphasis ours)

"The point to be emphasized is that Muhammad did not immediately appreciate that there was a contradiction between this permission for intercession and a genuine monotheism. This does not necessarily mean that he accepted the idea of the believers in Allah as ‘high god’ that there were other deities which could intercede with him. Some of those who heard the verses might certainly have understood them in this way, but Muhammad himself probably thought of the three goddesses as angels. It is to be noted that verse 26 of the same surah speaks of the possibility of intercession by angels: ‘How many angels there are in the heavens whose intercession is of no avail save after God gives leave to those whom he chooses and accepts!’ The full story of the rejection of the ‘satanic verses’ will never be known. What is certain is that a fresh revelation canceled them and replaced them by others. It is from this time, too, that the revelations emphasize that ‘there is no deity but God’ and he must be the sole object of worship. Even the possibility that the goddesses might be angels is rejected: ‘they are but names which you have named, you and your fathers’ (53:23). Thus, in the end, the Qur'an decisively rejected belief in Allah as ‘high god’, but it is part of the background against which the accounts of Muhammad's call must be considered." (Ibid., pp. xxxiv-xxxv; bold emphasis ours)

Ata b. Yasar told that he met `Abdallah b. `Amr b. al-As and asked him to inform him of the description of God's messenger given in the Torah. He agreed, swearing by God that he was certainly described in the Torah by part of the description of him given in the Qur'an when it says,

"O prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of good tidings, and a warner, and a guard for the common people." (From Al-Ahzab 33:45 up to here. The following is from the Torah-Old Testament, Isaiah 42:1-3,6-7.) "You are my servant and my messenger; I have called you the one who trusts, not harsh or rough, nor loud-voiced in the streets. He will not repulse evil with evil, but will pardon and forgive, and God will not take him till He uses him to straighten the crooked creed so that people may say there is no god but God, and he opens thereby blind eyes, deaf ears and hardened hearts. Bukhari transmitted it, and Darimi also gives something to the same effect on the authority of `Ata who gave as his authority Ibn Salam.

"… Al-Bukhari recorded it from 'Abdullah bin 'Amr. It was also recorded by Al-Bukhari [up to the word] forgoes. And he mentioned the narration of 'Abdullah bin 'Amr then he said: ‘It was COMMON in the speech of our Salaf that they describe THE BOOKS OF THE PEOPLE OF THE TWO SCRIPTURES AS THE TAWRAH, as some Hadiths concur. Allah knows best.’" (Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), Volume 4, (Surat Al-Ar'af to the end of Surah Yunus), abridged by a group of scholars under the supervision of Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, Riyadh, Houston, New York, Lahore; First Edition: May 2000], p. 179; bold and capital emphasis ours)

We did indeed aforetime give the Book to Moses: be not then in doubt OF ITS REACHING (THEE): and We made it a guide to the Children of Israel. And We appointed, from among them, leaders, giving guidance under Our command, so long as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in Our Signs (Ayat- Verses). Verily thy Lord will judge between them on the Day of Judgment, in the matters wherein they differ (among themselves) S. 32:23-25

"And Allah will teach him the Book and Wisdom, THE TORAH and the Gospel, And (appoint him) as a messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): 'I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah's leave: And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I bring the dead into life, by Allah's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe; (I have come to you), TO ATTEST THE TORAH WHICH WAS BEFORE ME. And to make lawful to you part of what was (Before) forbidden to you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah, and obey me. S. 3:48-50

"Then will Allah say: ‘O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favor to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, THE TORAH and the Gospel. And behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the Clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: "This is nothing but evident magic".’" S. 5:110

"And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: ‘O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you, CONFIRMING THE TAURAT (Law) (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.’ But when he came to them with Clear Signs, they said, ‘This is evident sorcery!’" S. 61:6

<the Tawrah and the Injil>. The Tawrah is the Book THAT ALLAH SENT DOWN TO MUSA, son of Imran, while the Injil is what Allah sent down to Isa, son of Maryam, peace be upon them, AND ISA MEMORIZED BOTH BOOKS…

<If you believe. And I have come confirming that which was before me of the Tawrah,> affirming the Tawrah AND UPHOLDING IT," (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Volume 2, parts 3,4 & 5, Surat Al-Baqarah, Verse 253, to Surat An-Nisa, Verse 147 [March 2000], pp. 163, 165; bold and capital emphasis ours)

"'Isa said, ‘The Tawrah conveyed the glad tidings of my coming, and my coming CONFIRMS THE TRUTH OF THE TAWRAH ...’" (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Volume 9, Surat Al-Jathiyah to the end of Surat Al-Munafiqun [September 2000, first edition], p. 617; bold and capital emphasis ours)

"And I will write down (my mercy) for those who are righteous and give alms and who believe in our signs; who follow the apostle, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in THE TORAH AND THE GOSPEL THAT IS WITH THEM. S. 7:156-157

"Salih b. Kaisan from Nafi‘, freedman of ‘Abdullah b. Umar from Abdullah b. Umar, told me: When the apostle gave judgement about them HE ASKED FOR A TORAH. A rabbi sat there reading it having put his hand over the verse of stoning. ‘Abdullah b. Salam struck the rabbi's hand, saying, ‘This, O prophet of God, is the verse of stoning which he refused to read to you.’ The apostle said, ‘Woe to you Jews! What has induced you to abandon the judgement of God WHICH YOU HOLD IN YOUR HANDS?’ They answered: ‘The sentence used to be carried out until a man of royal birth and noble origin committed adultery and the king refused to allow him to be stoned. Later another committed adultery and the king wanted him to be stoned but they said No, until you stone so-and-so. And they did away with all mention of stoning.’ The apostle said, ‘I am the first to revive the order from God AND HIS BOOK and to practice it.’ They were duly stoned and Abdullah b. Umar said, ‘I was among those that stoned them.’ (Alfred Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad, p. 267; bold and capital emphasis ours)

"Rafi b. Haritha and Sallam b. Mishkam and Malik b. al-Sayf and Rafi b. Huraymila came to him [Muhammad] and said: ‘Do you not allege that you follow the religion of Abraham and believe in the Torah WHICH WE HAVE and testify that it is the truth from God?’ He replied, ‘CERTAINLY, but you have sinned and broken the covenant CONTAINED THEREIN and concealed what you were ordered to make plain to men, and I dissociate myself from your sin.’ They said, ‘We hold by WHAT WE HAVE. We live according to the guidance and the truth and we do not believe in you and we will not follow you.’ So God sent down concerning them: ‘Say, O Scripture folk, you have no standing until you observe the Torah and the Gospel and what has been sent down from your Lord. What has been sent down to thee from they Lord will assuredly increase many of them in error and unbelief. But be not sad because of the unbelieving people.’" (Guillaume, p. 268; bold and capital emphasis ours)

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Umar:

A group of Jews came and invited the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) to Quff. So he visited them in their school.

They said: AbulQasim, one of our men has committed fornication with a woman; so pronounce judgment upon them. They placed a cushion for the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) who sat on it and said: Bring the Torah. It was then brought. He then withdrew the cushion from beneath him AND PLACED THE TORAH ON IT saying: I BELIEVED IN THEE and in Him Who REVEALED THEE.

He then said: Bring me one who is learned among you. Then a young man was brought. The transmitter then mentioned the rest of the tradition of stoning similar to the one transmitted by Malik from Nafi' (No. 4431). (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 38, Number 4434)

8. Finally, several millenniums before Christ Jesus spoke for the coming of "another paraclete", the making of ISLAM as a Great Nation was already in GOD'S MASTER PLAN and foretold in the Holy Bible. God the Almighty had declared His Master Plan to His prophets Abraham, MOSES, Solomon, Isaiah and Habakkuk. Here are few verses from the Old and New Testaments. Genesis 17: 20; 21: 13-17-18; DEUTERONOMY 18: 15-18 AND IN PARTICULAR 33:2; Songs of Solomon 5: 10 to 16; Isaiah 42: 9 to 17 and Habakkuk 3: 3.
John 14: 16/26; 15: 26; 16: 7 to 15; 1 John 2: 1 and 1 John 4: 6. (Source)

Nearly TWENTY CENTURIES before the birth of prophet Muhammad AND A SHORT WHILE BEFORE HIS OWN DEATH, PROPHET MOSES speaking on the subject of the Holy One from mount Paran, said to his people: (Source)

The Message that Jesus had brought was the same as declared IN THE FIFTH BOOK OF MOSES, called Deuteronomy, which is: "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." "Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God..." (Source)