Sheba | |
|---|---|
| 'Abd al-Shams ibn Yashjub[1] | |
| Children | Kahlan ibn Saba' Himyar ibn Saba' |
| Parent | Yashjub ibn Ya'rub (father) |
| Relatives | Qahtan (great-grandfather) |
Sheba (Hebrew: שְׁבָא) also known as Saba' is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis. He is traditionally believed to be an ancient king of Yemen. He also plays a huge role in Arabian folklore as being the ancestor of the tribes of Sabaeans and later Himyarites who ruled Yemen until the middle of the 6th century CE.
A man said, `O Messenger of Allah! Tell me about Saba' -- what was it, a land or a woman? He said:
«لَيْسَ بِأَرْضٍ وَلَا امْرَأَةٍ، وَلَكِنَّهُ رَجُلٌ وُلِدَ لَهُ عَشَرَةٌ مِنَ الْوَلَدِ، فَتَيَامَنَ سِتَّةٌ وَتَشَاءَمَ أَرْبَعَةٌ، فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ تَشَاءَمُوا: فَلَخْمٌ وَجُذَامٌ وَعَامِلَةُ وَغَسَّانُ، وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ تَيَامَنُوا: فَكِنْدَةُ وَالْأَشْعَرِيُّونَ وَالْأَزْدُ وَمَذْحِجٌ وَحِمْيَرُ وَأَنْمَار»
(It was neither a land nor a woman. It was a man who had ten children, six of whom went Yemen and four of whom went Ash-Sham. Those who went Ash-Sham were Lakhm, Judham, `Amilah and Ghassan. Those who went south were Kindah, Al-Ash`ariyyun, Al-Azd, Madhhij, Himyar and Anmar.) A man asked, `Who are Anmar' He said;
«الَّذِينَ مِنْهُمْ خَثْعَمُ وَبَجِيلَة»
(Those among whom are Khath`am and Bajilah. )" This was recorded by At-Tirmidhi in his Jami` Sunan in more detail than this; then he said, "This is a Hasan Gharib Hadith." The genealogists -- including Muhammad bin Ishaq -- said, "The name of Saba' was `Abd Shams bin Yashjub bin Ya`rub bin Qahtan; he was called Saba' because he was the first Arab tribe to disperse.