Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i (; also spelled Al-Rubaiy; 1904–1965) was an Iraqi

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

and politician who served as the first

president of Iraq The President of the Republic of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq. Since the mid-2000s, the presidency is primarily a symbolic office, as the position does not possess significant power within the country according to the Constitution of Iraq, ...

, from 14 July 1958 to 8 February 1963. Together with Abdul Karim Qassim, he was one of the leaders of the

14 July Revolution The 14 July Revolution, also known as the 1958 Iraqi military coup, was a ''coup d'état'' that took place on 14 July 1958 in Iraq, resulting in the toppling of King Faisal II and the overthrow of the Hashemite-led Kingdom of Iraq. The Ira ...

that toppled King Faisal II and the Hashemite Iraqi monarchy in 1958. 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 Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

community. In 1963, Qassim was deposed in the

Ramadan Revolution The Ramadan Revolution, also referred to as the 8 February Revolution and the February 1963 coup d'état in Iraq, was a military coup by the Iraqi branch of the Ba'ath Party which overthrew the prime minister of Iraq, Abdul-Karim Qasim in 1963 ...

. This led Ar-Ruba'i to retire from politics, and he eventually died in 1965.

References

1904 births 1965 deaths Presidents of Iraq Iraqi Military Academy alumni {{Iraq-politician-stub