Kabeerdaas ji is categorized as a saint but his thoughts and compositions are not confined to religion, spirituality, meditation and bhajans alone. He also deals with worldly life – the character and behaviour of individuals; practices (and malpractices) rampant in society; evils of caste system which divides people into ‘high’ and ‘low’ classes, etc. He also goes in depth in denouncing superstitions and hypocrisy prevalent in practice of religions and sects in general. He considers them as obstructions in the way of health, peace and happiness of society. We should take all these things into account if we want to understand and interpret Kabeerdaas ji’s poetry correctly.

— Kusum Banthia

हिन्दी में पढ़िये

हिंदू कहे राम मोहि प्यारा, तुरक कहे रहिमाना ।
आपस में दोऊ लरि लरि मूए, मरम न काहू जाना ।।

Hinduu kahe Raam mohi pyaaraa, Turak kahe rahimaanaa
Aaapas men dou lari lari mue, maram na kaahuu jaanaa

Kabeerdaas ji speaks staunchly against organized religions and their set rituals. He felt they created differences between man and man and were thus harmful for society at large. In this couplet he says that Hindoos idolize Raama while Muslims worship Rahamaan (the compassionate One i.e., Allaah or God). They keep fighting to death to establish the supremacy of their own religion while neither of them realizes that it is the one and same Divine Spirit whom they worship with different names and rituals.

हिंदू कहूँ तो मैं नहीं , मुसलमान मैं नाहिं ।
पाँच तत्त का पूतला , गैबो खेलै माहिं ।।

Hindoo kahoon to main nahin, Musalmaan main naahin
Paanch tatta kaa pootalaa, gaibo khele maahin

Kabeerdaas ji never followed any rituals related to any religion. But he was deep into devotion and spiritual practices. In his own time there was a difference of opinion about the religion he followed. Kabeer was not at all concerned with this controversy. In this couplet he clarifies that he is neither a Hindoo nor a Muslim. (Like all other human beings), he is simply a body constituted with the five elements — earth, water, fire, air and sky. The Divine Power has added life to it to play Its own games with it. This is indeed a basic fact that every human being, irrespective of religious sects he is born into, is after all a body constituted of the five elements, inhabited by soul — the Divine Power.