# Yakub
Yakub is a figure from Nation of Islam teachings reimagined online as the Black scientist who engineered white people in a lab, and his name took hold as a running joke across iFunny and Twitter. He slipped onto the English-speaking web in early 2015 through fringe blogs before migrating to meme boards. By April 2022, 'Yakub' trended on Twitter after D.C. police released a photo of a Yakub poster hanging inside a mass shooter's apartment.
## Origin
Yakub originated in Nation of Islam cosmology through writings by W.D. Fard, published by Elijah Muhammad in a question-and-answer pamphlet called Lost Found Moslem Lesson No. 2 on February 20, 1924. In NOI theology, he is a 6,600-year-old Black scientist whose breeding experiments produced white people and other non-Black and non-Asian groups[8].
The earliest documented online appearance tied to the modern meme came from the WordPress blog Heartiste on January 8, 2015, which posted a photo of a Black man with an unusually large head shape alongside Yakub references[1]. A few months later, iFunny user HacksAndFactz_2015 posted a fact-style graphic on April 23, 2015 that attributed Yakub's experiments to the Greek island of Patmos, set against the Nation of Islam flag[2].
- **Platform:** WordPress (first online mention) / iFunny and 4chan (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Unknown
- **Date:** 2015
## Overview
Posters using the Yakub name typically combine an image of a Black man with a large or bulbous head and the premise that he engineered white people, with mock scientific captions attached[1]. A common 'Doctor Yakub' bit shows an older Black man standing beside white women or other 'creations,' played either as pride, horror, or deadpan announcement. Separately, 'Yakub-maxxing' refers to posting photos of people with Photoshopped or naturally oversized heads, including a widely circulated edit of streamer Tyler1[7].
Tone across these posts shifts by platform. iFunny users run the gag earnestly in the style of Nation of Islam fact graphics[2], while Twitter posts lean into confusion humor, treating Yakub as a goofy mascot of racial grievance. Nobody outside NOI circles knows the backstory, so a straight-faced 'Yakub' photo tends to confuse first-time viewers, which is the point[3].
## How to Use
A typical Yakub post pairs a Black man with an exaggerated head shape (either real or Photoshopped) with text that credits him as the inventor of white people. Common conventions include captions in a pseudo-educational voice, NOI flag backgrounds for 'fact' graphics, or 'Doctor Yakub' photo captions showing him posing with his supposed creations. Yakub-maxxing posts often lose the NOI references entirely and focus on the enlarged-head visual gag.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Yakub?
Yakub is a 6,600-year-old Black scientist from Nation of Islam teachings who, in NOI theology, created white people through breeding experiments. Online, his name became an iFunny and Twitter meme format[8].
### Where did Yakub come from?
The character comes from Lost Found Moslem Lesson No. 2, a 1924 Nation of Islam pamphlet by Elijah Muhammad based on writings by W.D. Fard[8]. He first appeared as an internet meme reference on the Heartiste WordPress blog on January 8, 2015[1].
### What does Yakub mean?
In NOI cosmology, Yakub is the name of the Black scientist credited with inventing white people and other non-Black and non-Asian races. Online, the name functions as shorthand for jokes about race creation and large-head photos[3].
### How do you use Yakub?
People post images of Black men with oversized heads captioned as Yakub, make mock NOI fact-graphics about him creating white people, or share 'Doctor Yakub' photos showing him posing with his 'creations'[6]. 'Yakub-maxxing' is used for enlarged-head photos regardless of NOI context[7].
### Is Yakub still popular?
Usage spiked when the name trended on Twitter in April 2022 after D.C. police revealed a Yakub poster in a mass shooter's apartment[4]. Posting slowed after that moment but the format still shows up in iFunny and Twitter circles[5].
## References
1. [https://heartiste.wordpress.com/2014/10/07/freelance-comment-of-the-week-if-dwight-eisenhower-could-see-us-now/]()
2. [https://ifunny.co/picture/IYG3toqr2]()
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/yakub]()
4. [https://twitter.com/DCPoliceDept/status/1517686052550582279]()
5. [https://twitter.com/Real_Xi_Jinping/status/1517881006367416326]()
6. [https://ifunny.co/picture/doctor-yakub-showing-orr-the-white-women-he-just-created-XKcctSxE9]()
7. [https://ifunny.co/picture/face-reveal-sowy-i-haven-t-done-one-yet-i-mndgTQxu8]()
8. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakub_(Nation_of_Islam)]()
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Source: https://meme.com/memes/yakub
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