Career
He was commissioned in an infantry regiment in 1943 after graduating from the Egyptian Military Academy. He was wounded in action during the 1956 war as an the commander of an infantry anti-Tank battalion. During the 1977 protests in Egypt, as commander of the Central Military Region, he is known to have refused to use deadly force against protestors in Cairo and to convince President Sadat to accede to some of the popular demands.
After he retired from the Egyptian Army, he served as Governor of Cairo until 1987.