Muhammad Naguib: The First President of the Arab Republic of Egypt

Translated by: Alaa Wael 

Reviewed by: Nouran Salah 

He was born on February 19, 1901, in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, specifically in Saqia Maala. He is a descendant of a military family famous for courage and bravery. His maternal grandfather, Admiral (Brigadier General) Muhammad Othman, commander of the Muslim Gate garrison in Sudan, was martyred, along with three of his brothers who were officers in the Egyptian army in Sudan, while defending Khartoum against the Mahdi forces in 1885. His father was also appointed warden of the military prison in Wadi Halfa and then in Wad Madani.

 Muhammad Naguib received his education at Wad Madani’s Kuttab (Quranic schools) in 1905, where he memorized the Qur’an and learned the basics of reading and writing. His father moved to Sinja, then Abu Naama in the Sinnar District, then Dalqo in the Halfa District, where there are no schools in these mentioned areas. He enrolled in primary school when his father became mayor of Wadi Halfa in 1908. Then, in 1912, his father moved as commissioner to the outskirts of the town of Wad Madani in the Blue Nile District. Muhammad enrolled in primary school and obtained his primary certificate there; then he joined Gordon College in 1913. 

Muhammad travelled to Egypt, where he obtained the Egyptian Primary School Certificate while studying in his final year at Gordon College, and then returned to Khartoum in 1916. After graduating from Gordon College, he joined the “Tropical Research Institute,”  graduated, and worked as a translator.

Muhammad Naguib joined the Military College in Egypt in April 1917 and graduated on January 23, 1918. He then travelled to Sudan on February 19, 1918, as an officer in the Egyptian army in the 17th Infantry Battalion.He then moved to the Sawari Corps (cavalry) in Shendi and later to the Division Western Vehicle in Cairo after the battalion in which he was serving was abolished in 1921.

He obtained a certificate of proficiency, attended police school for two months, graduated from it, and served in the Abdeen, Old Misr, Boulaq, and Helwan police stations. He returned again to Sudan in 1922, with the Sudanese Division (13), and served in “Wau” and Bahr el-Ghazal, then moved to the Machine Cannons Unit in “Malikal.” He then joined the Royal Guard in Cairo on April 28, 1923, and then moved to the Eighth Division in Maadi because of his support for Sudanese freedom fighters.

Naguib obtained a baccalaureate degree in 1923, joined the Faculty of Law, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in 1924. He was fluent in English, French, Italian, German, and Hebrew. Despite his military responsibilities, he was passionate about science, so he obtained a Bachelor of Laws in 1927 and a postgraduate diploma in political economy in 1929. He received another postgraduate diploma in private law in 1931 and began preparing his doctoral dissertation, but the nature of his military work and his frequent movements prevented it from being completed.

He was promoted to the rank of Yuzbashi (captain) in December 1931 and transferred to the Border Forces in 1934. After that, he moved to the city of Al-Arish and served in the desert.

He was appointed to the committee that supervised the organization of the Egyptian army in Khartoum after the 1936 Treaty and was promoted to the rank of Al-Sagh (major) on May 6, 1938. That year, he refused to conduct joint military training with the British in Marsa Matruh. 

He obtained a Staff College certificate in May 1939 and was promoted to the rank of Al-Bakbashi (Lieutenant Colonel) on June 25, 1940. In that year, he prepared a plan to defend Egypt during Libya’s exposure to the Italian attack. He was promoted to the rank of governor (colonel) in June 1944, and was appointed regional governor of Sinai that same year. He was responsible for the machine guns in Al-Arish in 1947 and was promoted to the rank of admiral (brigadier general) in 1948. He was appointed commander of the Great Officers School in 1948, then travelled to Palestine, where he assumed command of the 10th Brigade in addition to the 4th Infantry Brigade.

He fought in the Palestine War in 1948, leading his forces despite his high military rank and was wounded three times. Moreover, he served as commander of the first brigade, then the second, then the third, then the fourth, in the first period of the Palestine War. The Battle of Al-Tabba (86) in Deir al-Balah is considered to be one of the most important 21 battles in which he fought in Palestine, where he was severely wounded and almost killed. After his return, he was appointed as commander of the Great Officers School again in 1949, and also became director of the Border Forces in the same year.

Muhammad Naguib was promoted to the rank of Major General on December 9, 1950, and was appointed Director of the Infantry. He confronted the king’s attempts to seize state lands for building palaces. He also ordered an investigation into the violations of Hussein Sirri, the palace man who was accused of bribery, plundering Bedouin funds, and selling the remnants of World War II. Muhammad Naguib’s fame increased after this incident, and the Free Officers sympathized with him. In the same year, they nominated him as their candidate against Hussein Sirri, as director of the Border Forces and the king’s man, in the elections for the presidency of the Armed Forces Officers Club. Muhammad Naguib’s list included a number of Free Officers, and was elected by a majority of votes. However, the King ordered the dissolution of the club’s board, the appointment of an interim board, and the withdrawal of appropriations for the construction of the new club.

Because of his role in the Palestine War, Muhammad Naguib became admired and respected by young officers, including free officers. The organization of the Free Officers was secret, and the movement needed to be headed by a senior officer, as they were of junior rank. Abdel Hakim Amer informed Gamal Abdel Nasser, “I found a great treasure in General Muhammad Naguib,” as Abdul Hakim was the commander of the brigade’s war staff, which Muhammad Naguib was commanding.

Gamal Abdel Nasser invited him to organize the Free Officers Organization, as Gamal Abdel Nasser was its founder and president, and he agreed. Zakaria Mohieddin confirms that “Muhammed Naguib joined the movement six months before the revolution.”

The Free Officers wanted to take advantage of the Cairo fire on January 26, 1952, to carry out a revolution, as the armed forces were deployed in the streets of Cairo, but Muhammad Naguib warned them of the dire consequences of any action, which might prompt Britain to intervene under the pretext of protecting security and the lives of foreigners.

The order of the organization leaked to the king, so he sent to Hussein Sirri, the Prime Minister, on July 2, 1952, a letter in which he demanded that Haider Pasha “transfer 12 officers who are conspiring against him within five days; otherwise, he will be expelled.”

Muhammad Naguib became aware that their arrest was imminent, especially after General Ahmed Fouad Sadiq visited him and told him that the authorities would arrest him on charges of leading a secret organization within the army. Muhammad Haider, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, also summoned him and accused him of inciting the officers to revolution. On July 18, 1952, Muhammad Naguib met Dr. Muhammad Hashem, Minister of the Interior—the husband of the Prime Minister’s daughter—at the request of the latter, who asked him about the reasons for the officers’ complaints and offered him the position of Minister of War, despite the King’s refusal to appoint him “so that Orabi No. 2 would not appear,” according to the King’s words. Muhammad Naguib preferred to stay in the army. Dr. Muhammad Hashem notified him that there was a committee of 12 people, eight of whom were known to the government authorities.

In light of this situation and the fate that awaits the Free Officers, Muhammad Naguib asked Gamal Abdel Nasser and Abdel Hakim Amer to take action, and he agreed with them that the zero hour should be July 21–22, 1952. At this time, General Ali Naguib, the brother of Muhammad Naguib, and the commander of the Cairo garrison, called him and notified him of the existence of a conference for Chief of Staff Hussein Farid at ten o’clock in the evening (July 22) at the command headquarters in Qobba Bridge. He reported this to Gamal Abdel Nasser and Abdel Hakim Amer and suggested that they besiege command headquarters, and he would be the first to be there. So Gamal Abdel Nasser and Abdel Hakim Amer asked him to stay in the house next to the telephone until it was seized.

After the success of the revolution plan, Jamal Hammad contacted General Muhammad Naguib to confirm the success of the operation. As the General Command and the communications center were seized, the armored vehicles moved and entered Cairo, and General Muhammad Naguib moved to the General Command building.

The first statement of the revolution was announced in the name of General Muhammad Naguib, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, on July 23, 1952. Moreover, the Revolutionary Command Council decided to declare a three-year transitional period ending on January 16, 1956, so that a sound democratic system could be established.

On June 18, 1953, the system of government in Egypt became republican, and General Muhammad Naguib was appointed the first president of Egypt. Thus, the monarchy and the rule of Muhammad Ali’s family were abolished. General Naguib formed his second ministry on June 18, 1953, in which he retained the positions of President of the Republic and Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council.

One of the most important works of General Muhammad Naguib:

• He established the Association of War Distorters after the Palestine War, worked to realize its idea, and was elected as its president.
• The Agrarian Reform Act was promulgated on September 9,1952.
• A law to reduce housing rents by 15%, endowments were abolished except for charitable endowments (Law 180 of 1952).
• He abolished the political police.
• He founded and supervised the Egyptian Army Magazine, served as its editor-in-chief since 1937, and wrote a large number of articles in it.

His writings: 

• The Sudan Issue (1943).
• Egypt’s Destiny (in English,1955).
• My word for history (1975)
•  I Was President Of Egypt (1984).
• He prepared many studies on the Bedouins. He was an active member of the Desert Institute and submitted more than one report to King Farouk, in which he demanded attention to exploiting and reconstructing the desert.

Medals: 

• Cuba awarded him its highest military honors.
• He was awarded the Fouad I Star twice for his valor before and after the Battle of Palestine.

His death: 

• He passed away on August 28, 1984. 

English Language Coordinator: Asmaa Ahmed