Rayah

In this article, the topic of Rayah will be addressed, which has aroused great interest in different areas. Rayah is a topic that has generated debate and discussion in today's society, and its relevance has been increasing in recent years. Through this article, we aim to analyze different aspects related to Rayah, providing a comprehensive view on this topic. From its origins to its impact today, different perspectives and opinions will be explored to fully understand the importance of Rayah today.
Bosnian rayah paying tribute

A raiyah or reaya (from Arabic: رعايا raʿāyā, a plural of رعيّة raʿiya "countryman, animal, sheep pasturing,[1] subjects,[1] nationals,[2] flock", also spelled raiya, raja, raiah, re'aya; Ottoman Turkish رعايا, IPA: [ɾeˈʔaːjeː]; Modern Turkish râiya [ɾaːˈja] or reaya; related to the Arabic word rā'ī راعي which means "shepherd, herdsman, patron"[3]) was a member of the tax-paying lower class of Ottoman society, in contrast to the askeri and kul.

The raiyah made up over 90% of the general population in the millet communities. In the Muslim world, raiyah is literally subject of a government or sovereign. The raiyah (literally 'members of the flock') included Christians, Muslims, and Jews who were 'shorn' (i.e. taxed) to support the state and the associated 'professional Ottoman' class.[4]

However, both in contemporaneous and in modern usage, it refers to non-Muslim subjects in particular, also called zimmi.[5][6][7]

In the early Ottoman Empire, raiyah were not eligible for military service, but from the late 16th century, Muslim raiyah became eligible to the distress of some of the ruling class.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Google Translate". translate.google.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  2. ^ "Google Translate". translate.google.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  3. ^ "Google Translate". translate.google.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  4. ^ Sugar, p. 33
  5. ^ Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48, "Raiyah \Raee"yah\ (r"y or r"y), n. A person not a Mohammedan (i. e. Muslim), who pays the capitation tax. (Turkey) (1913 Webster)"
  6. ^ Dictionary.com definition
  7. ^ "Raiyahs,"--all who pay the capitation tax, called the "Haraç." "This tax was levied on the whole male unbelieving population," except children under ten, old men, Christian and Jewish priests. --Finlay, Greece under Ottoman and Venetian Domination, 2856, p. 26.
  8. ^ Greene, p. 41, quoting Halil Inalcık

Sources

  • Molly Greene, A Shared World: Christians and Muslims in the Early Modern Mediterranean, Princeton, 2000. ISBN 0-691-00898-1
  • Peter F. Sugar, Southeastern Europe under Ottoman Rule, 1354-1804, series title A History of East Central Europe, volume V, University of Washington Press, 1983. ISBN 0-295-96033-7.
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