Rayee
Encyclopedia
The Rayee are a Muslim
community found in the state of Bihar
in India
. They are sub-group of the larger Kunjra
community of South Asia
. They are also known as Sabzifarosh (from Persian
سبزیفروش meaning vegetable-seller), Mewafarosh (from Persian میوهفروش meaning fruit-seller) and Al-Raiee.
community, and claim to have originally from Arabia. They are said to get their name from Rayee mountains, which are said to exist somewhere in Arabia. The Rayee are the traditional green grocers of Bihar
, and North India
, and widely distributed throughout Bihar
. They speak Urdu
, Hindi
, and in the west of Bihar
, Bhojpuri. Ifact the rayeen commuinity of UP West like Bareilly and Pilibhit are the most educated but they call themselves as Kunjda for the purpose of getting benefit of OBC kota.
s. They prefer marriage among a close kinship circle, and both cross cousin and parallel cousin marriages are practiced. The community are still essentially vegetable and fruit sellers, with a good number engaged in agriculture. They are small to medium sized farmers. With rapid urbanization, many Rayee have also taken unskilled jobs as rickshaw pulling, and form an important part of the Bihari Muslim population in Calcuta. But like other communities of a similar status, there has been a marked tendency to take up education, and they now produced a number of businessmen, administrators, teachers and political leaders.
The Bihar Al-Rayee Anjuman is one of the oldest caste
association in Bihar
, and plays an active role in the welfare of the community, as well as playing an important role in the politics of Bihar
. At village level, the community also possesses informal village panchayats which act as instruments of social control. They are Sunni Muslim
s and are equal split between the Deobandi
and Barelvi
sects
There are large number of rayee community residing in distt. Muzaffar nagar, the major Areas are Hasanpur Luhari,Thana Bhawan ,Jalalabad,Nagla Rayeen, kairana,Muhammadpur,Nagla etc. . Mr. Bashir Ahamad Rayeen resident of Kairana had a position of MLA in UP assembly and he held a position of Nagar Panchayat Chairmen more than 15 years ,He is the respected name in Muzaffar nagar politics. Mr.Jameel Ahmad Rayeen resident of Hasanpur Luhari got a President award for teaching .
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community found in the state of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are sub-group of the larger Kunjra
Kunjra
The Kunjra are a Muslim community found in North India, Central India and Pakistan.-History and origin:The Kunjra are a community associated with green grocing, who sell mainly vegetable and fruits. The name of the community is derived from arabic word kunj, which means a group of warrior...
community of South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
. They are also known as Sabzifarosh (from Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
سبزیفروش meaning vegetable-seller), Mewafarosh (from Persian میوهفروش meaning fruit-seller) and Al-Raiee.
History and origin
The community are a branch of the wider KunjraKunjra
The Kunjra are a Muslim community found in North India, Central India and Pakistan.-History and origin:The Kunjra are a community associated with green grocing, who sell mainly vegetable and fruits. The name of the community is derived from arabic word kunj, which means a group of warrior...
community, and claim to have originally from Arabia. They are said to get their name from Rayee mountains, which are said to exist somewhere in Arabia. The Rayee are the traditional green grocers of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, and North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
, and widely distributed throughout Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
. They speak Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, and in the west of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, Bhojpuri. Ifact the rayeen commuinity of UP West like Bareilly and Pilibhit are the most educated but they call themselves as Kunjda for the purpose of getting benefit of OBC kota.
Present circumstances
The Rayee are strictly endogamous, but have no sub-divisions or gotraGotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
s. They prefer marriage among a close kinship circle, and both cross cousin and parallel cousin marriages are practiced. The community are still essentially vegetable and fruit sellers, with a good number engaged in agriculture. They are small to medium sized farmers. With rapid urbanization, many Rayee have also taken unskilled jobs as rickshaw pulling, and form an important part of the Bihari Muslim population in Calcuta. But like other communities of a similar status, there has been a marked tendency to take up education, and they now produced a number of businessmen, administrators, teachers and political leaders.
The Bihar Al-Rayee Anjuman is one of the oldest caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
association in Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, and plays an active role in the welfare of the community, as well as playing an important role in the politics of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
. At village level, the community also possesses informal village panchayats which act as instruments of social control. They are Sunni Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s and are equal split between the Deobandi
Deobandi
Deobandi is a movement of Sunni Islam. The movement began at Darul Uloom Deoband in Deoband, India, where its foundation was laid on 30 May 1866.-History:...
and Barelvi
Barelvi
Barelvi is a term used for the movement of Sufi , Sunni Islam originating in the Indian subcontinent.The Movement is known as Ahle Sunnat movement to its followers....
sects
There are large number of rayee community residing in distt. Muzaffar nagar, the major Areas are Hasanpur Luhari,Thana Bhawan ,Jalalabad,Nagla Rayeen, kairana,Muhammadpur,Nagla etc. . Mr. Bashir Ahamad Rayeen resident of Kairana had a position of MLA in UP assembly and he held a position of Nagar Panchayat Chairmen more than 15 years ,He is the respected name in Muzaffar nagar politics. Mr.Jameel Ahmad Rayeen resident of Hasanpur Luhari got a President award for teaching .