Ya'rub (Arabic:يعرب, also spelledYarob,Ya'rob,Yarrob,Yarab orYaarub) is an ancientArabicpersonal name. He is the grandson ofAbir being the son ofQahtan and the ancestor of theHimyarite andSabaean kings ofYemen.[1][2] A similar account places Ya'rub as Qahtan's grandson (Ya'rub bin Yashjub bin Qahtan) and holds that he is the forefather ofal-'Arab al-'Ariba ("the arab arabs" or "pure arabs"), who are generally identified with theQahtanites and its two main tribes, theHimyar and theKahlan.[3] Somelegendary accounts relate that Ya'rub was the first to speak Arabic and that the language was named for him.[2][4] Shams-i Qais Razi, writing in the 12-13th century CE, traced the origins of Arabic poetry to Ya'rub and he is also credited with having invented theKufic script.[5][6]
In Arabian folklore, Ya'rub was said to be one of greatest Arab kings; he was the first to rule the entire lands ofYemen (southwesternArabia). He expelled or destroyed the remaining Adites (the ones who survived the destruction of their former kingdom) and consolidated the empire of Yemen, and gave to his brothers Oman and Hadhramaut. His grandson was the kingSheba (known in Arabic asSaba') the founder of theSabaean Kingdom, which is also mentioned in theQur'an.
