Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i

Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i (Arabic: مُحَمَّد نَجِيب الرَّبِيعِيّ; also spelled Al-Rubaiy; 1904–1965) was an Iraqi military officer and politician who served as the first president of Iraq, from 14 July 1958 to 8 February 1963.^[1] Together with Abdul Karim Qassim,^[2] he was one of the leaders of the 14 July Revolution that toppled King Faisal II and the Hashemite Iraqi monarchy in 1958.

His Excellency Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i
مُحَمَّد نَجِيب الرَّبِيعِيّ
Al-Rubaiy in 1960
1st President of Iraq
In office 14 July 1958 – 8 February 1963
Prime Minister	Abd al-Karim Qasim
Preceded by	Faisal II (as the King of Iraq)
Succeeded by	Abdul Salam Arif
Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Iraq
In office 14 July 1958 – 8 February 1963
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished Abdul Salam Arif (as Chairman of the National Council for the Leadership of the Revolution)
Personal details
Born	(1904-07-14)14 July 1904 Baghdad, Baghdad Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Died	1965 (aged 60–61) Baghdad, Iraq
Nationality	Iraqi
Political party	Independent politician
Occupation	Politician, President of Iraq (1958–63) and Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Iraq (1958–1963)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Mandatory Iraq (1924–1932) Kingdom of Iraq (1932–1958) Iraqi Republic (1958–1963)
Branch/service	Iraqi Ground Forces
Years of service	1924–1963
Rank	Lieutenant General
Battles/wars	Mahmud Barzanji revolts Ahmed Barzani revolt 1935–1936 Iraqi Shia revolts Second World War Middle Eastern theatre Anglo-Iraqi War 1943 Barzani revolt First Arab-Israeli War First Iraqi-Kurdish War

At the Military Staff College in Iraq, 1942. Ar-Ruba'i is the third officer seated below, from the right.

While Qassim became prime minister and held most of the power, Ar-Ruba'i was elected head of state with the title of Chairman of the Sovereignty Council. The Sovereignty Council had a representative from each of the communal/ethnic groups. Ar-Ruba'i represented the Sunni community.^{[citation needed]}

In 1963, Qassim was deposed in the Ramadan Revolution. This led Ar-Ruba'i to retire from politics, and he eventually died in 1965.