Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}

{{Short description|President of Iraq from 1958 to 1963}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = His Excellency

| name = Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i

| image = الربيعي.jpg

| caption = Al-Rubaiy in 1960

| office = President of Iraq

| term_start = 14 July 1958

| term_end = 8 February 1963

| vicepresident =

| primeminister = Abd al-Karim Qasim

| predecessor = Faisal II (as the King of Iraq)

| successor = Abdul Salam Arif

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1904|07|14}}

| birth_place = Baghdad, Baghdad Vilayet, Ottoman Empire

| death_date = {{Death year and age|1965|1904}}

| death_place = Baghdad, Iraq

| occupation = Politician, President of Iraq (1958–63) and Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Iraq (1958–1963)

| rank = 20px Lieutenant General

| battles = {{tree list}}

• 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

{{tree list/end}}

| nationality = Iraqi

| party = Independent politician

| branch = {{army|Iraq}}

| allegiance = {{flag|Mandatory Iraq}} (1924–1932)
{{flag|Kingdom of Iraq}} (1932–1958)
{{flagicon image|Flag of Iraq (1959–1963).svg}} Iraqi Republic (1958–1963)

| signature = Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i signature.jpg

| serviceyears = 1924–1963

| native_name = {{nobold|مُحَمَّد نَجِيب الرَّبِيعِيّ}}

| native_name_lang = ar

| office1 = Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Iraq

| termstart1 = 14 July 1958

| termend1 = 8 February 1963

| predecessor1 = Office established

| successor1 = Office abolished
Abdul Salam Arif (as Chairman of the National Council for the Leadership of the Revolution)

}}

File:كلية الأركان - العراق 1942.jpg

Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i ({{langx|ar|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.{{cite web | last =Cahoon | first =Ben | title =Iraq - Chronology | publisher =worldstatesmen.org | year =2000 | url =http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Iraq.htm | format =web | accessdate = 25 May 2008}} Together with Abdul Karim Qassim,{{cite web | title =Iraq PROFILE | date =17 October 2006 | publisher =U.S. Department of State | url =https://2001-2009.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/i/50942.htm | format =web | accessdate = 25 May 2008 }} he was one of the leaders of the 14 July Revolution 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 community.{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}

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