Kabir's birth and death dates have long been a subject of historical debate. Tradition places his birth in Samvat 1455 (1398 CE) and his death at Maghar in 1518 CE — a span that would put his age at roughly 120 years, a figure some scholars read as symbolic rather than literal.

Some modern historians instead place his life within roughly 1440–1518 CE. According to the official Sant Kabir Nagar district government website, his passing occurred on Magh Shukla Ekadashi, Vikram Samvat 1575 (January 1518) at Maghar. There is no firm scholarly consensus on his birth date, whereas his death at Maghar is comparatively better attested.

More than one tradition surrounds Kabir's birth, and these should be understood as devotional and folk narrative rather than historical fact.

One Kabir Panthi hagiographic tradition holds that Kabir descended from Satlok and appeared upon a lotus flower at the Lahartara tank in Varanasi — a divine, non-biological birth narrative.

A more widely repeated tradition holds that an infant was found near the Lahartara tank by a Muslim weaver couple, Niru and Nima, who raised the child as their own — this child grew up to be Kabir.

Some accounts further suggest his birth mother was an unwed Brahmin widow who abandoned the infant — a narrative that appears aimed at reconciling Kabir's Hindu philosophical roots with his Muslim upbringing. None of these accounts has contemporary historical documentation.

Kabir worked as a weaver (julaha) — a low-ranked occupational caste in Varanasi at the time, most of whose members had converted to Islam. This dual social position — rooted in Hindu bhakti tradition yet raised within a Muslim family — placed him in a genuinely liminal space between both communities, a position reflected throughout his verses.

Tradition holds that Kabir's guru was the Varanasi bhakti saint Swami Ramananda. A well-known legend recounts that since Ramananda would not accept a Muslim disciple, Kabir lay on the ghat steps where the saint walked each morning; when Ramananda accidentally stepped on him and exclaimed 'Ram', Kabir took this as his initiation mantra. This is a cherished legend, not a historical record.

That Kabir chose to spend his final period at Maghar (in present-day Sant Kabir Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh) is well attested by reliable sources. Tradition adds that a popular belief of the time held that dying in Kashi (Varanasi) guaranteed salvation, while dying in Maghar condemned one to rebirth as a donkey. Kabir is said to have deliberately chosen to leave his body in Maghar to challenge this superstition and affirm that liberation depends on inner truth, not the place of death — this interpretation belongs to tradition, not documented history.

The dispute between his Hindu and Muslim followers after his passing, and the legend of flowers found beneath the shroud — from which both a Samadhi and a Mazar came to be built — is described in full on the Maghar section of this site.