Son of the H─shimite king ?Al┤ ibn ?usayn of the Hejaz (northwestern Arabia), who was driven from Arabia by Ibn Sa?┗d, ?Abd al-Il─h accompanied his father to Iraq in 1925. Upon King Gh─z┤'s death in 1939, he was appointed regent for his four-year-old nephew, Fay?al II. ?Abd al-Il─h ruled Iraq for 14 turbulent years, loyally serving the throne and supporting the Allies during World War II. In April 1941, faced with an uprising of army officers led by Rash┤d ?─l┤ al-Gayl─n┤, who was sympathetic to Germany and Italy, the regent was forced to leave Iraq. With British assistance, however, the revolt was suppressed by the end of May, and ?Abd al-Il─h returned to Baghdad. Thereafter, in close collaboration with Nuri as-Said, he pursued a policy of moderate Iraqi nationalism and maintained strong ties with the West. When King Fay?al reached legal age on May 23, 1953, the regent relinquished his functions but remained as the young king's chief adviser and companion until both were killed during the Iraq revolution of 1958.