Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i (Arabic: محمد نجيب الربيعي; 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.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.[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.