According to Babad Tuban, Sunan Kalijaga had a grandfather named Aria Teja or Abdurrahman who was believed to be of Arab descent. He succeeded in converting the Duke of Tuban named Aria Dikara who later became his father-in-law. He also replaced his father-in-law as Duke of Tuban, after the duke died. After becoming duke, Abdurrahman changed his name to Aria Teja. From his marriage to Aria Dikara's daughter, Aria Teja had a son named Aria Wilatikta. Before marrying Aria Dikara's daughter, Aria Teja had also married the daughter of the King of Surabaya, Aria Lembu Sura. From his marriage, he had a daughter named Nyai Ageng Manila who later became the wife of Sunan Ampel.

Regarding the figure of Sunan Kalijaga who was of Arab descent, it was also mentioned by L.W.C. van den Berg. According to him, Sunan Kalijaga was the son of Tumenggung Wilatikta (Duke of Tuban), son of Lembu Kusuma (Regent of Tuban), son of Teja Laku (Regent of Majapahit), son of Abdurrahim (Aria Teja, Regent of Tuban), son of Kourames, son of Abbas, son of Abdullah, son of Ahmad, son of Jamal, son of Hasanuddin, son of Arifin, son of Madhra'uf, son of Abdullah, son of Mubarak, son of Kharmia, son of Abdullah, son of Mudzakir, son of Abdul Wakhid, son of Abbas, son of Abdul Muthalib. According to H.J. de Graaf, Aria Teja I whose name was Abdurrahman, was an Arab who had a lineage to Abbas bin Abdul Muthalib, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. (Sunyoto, 2012: 213-214). From the various versions regarding the origin of Sunan Kalijaga, it seems that there is a similarity, that Sunan Kalijaga was the son of Aria Wilatikta, the Regent of Tuban. This Regent had the real name, Abdul Syukur, who married Putri Nawangrum and gave birth to Raden Sahid (Sunan Kalijaga), as mentioned in the Babad Demak. There are also those who state that Sunan Kalijaga's father was named, Raden Sahur Wilatikta.

When he was young, Raden Sahid was known to be naughty. This naughtiness made him expelled by his parents who were ashamed of his son's behavior, who was known to be a thug. Expelled from home, Raden Sahid did not repent, but became worse. He grew up to be a feared robber leader in Tuban with the nickname Brandal Lokajaya. However, fate said otherwise. Raden Sahid then found his holy path, studying with his teacher who was also holy, Kanjeng Sunan Bonang. Apart from Sunan Bonang, he also studied with Sunan Ampel and Syaikh Syarif Hidayatullah, Sunan Gunung Jati. From them, Sunan Kalijaga took various kinds of knowledge, starting from sharia knowledge, nature, kanuragan, philosophy, art, and so on. According to Pustoko Darah Agung, Raden Sahid (Sunan Kalijaga), studied for quite a long time with Syaikh Syarif Hidayatullah in Cirebon. There, he was ordered to meditate on the banks of a river, until he was known by the name Kalijaga. There is also a version that states that he meditated on the banks of the river on the orders of his other teacher, namely Sunan Bonang. However, in Cirebon, there is currently a village called Kalijaga. In this village too, there is a hermitage which is believed to be the hermitage of Sunan Kalijaga (Amar, 1992: 11).

Like the other Walisongo, Sunan Kalijaga's preaching style is known to be gentle, combining Islamic teachings with strong Javanese traditions and culture. Wayang kulit is one of his preaching strategies and has proven to have brought many Javanese people at that time to embrace Islam. He is also known as a puppeteer who is skilled at attracting audiences. It is not surprising, according to Babad Cirebon, he is also known by many names as puppeteers, such as Ki Dhalang Sida Brangti, Ki Dhalang Bengkong, Ki Dhalang Kumendung, and Ki Dhalang Unehan. He is also a skilled dancer. Mask dance is another medium for his preaching. As an artist, he has made many innovations in the world of puppetry. To support his preaching, Sunan Kalijaga introduced new characters, such as Semar, Gareng, Petruk, and Bagong; these characters are not known in the Mahabharata and Ramayana puppet stories in India. He is also believed to have created various popular carangan stories to this day, such as Dewa Ruci, Semar Barang Jantur, Petruk Dadi Ratu, Mustakaweni, Dewa Srani, Pandu Bergola, and Wisanggeni.

Many people doubt the role of the Wali, especially Sunan Kalijaga in the field of puppetry. However, Pigeaud as quoted by Sunyoto (2012: 222) believes that wayang performances are truly the creation of the Wali, especially Sunan Kalijaga. It is possible that the art of wayang kulit existed before the arrival of Islam, but wayang performances such as their current form and purpose, have the role of the Wali. In addition to wayang and lakon carangan, Sunan Kalijaga is also believed to have created various songs that are full of Islamic meaning and teachings. One of the most popular is the song Ilir-Ilir and Kidung Rumeksa ing Wengi. After preaching for quite a long time in Cirebon, he moved to Demak, at the request of the Sultan of Demak at that time. Here, Sunan Kalijaga began to establish his other role as Walisongo, namely in the world of politics and government. In Demak too, Sunan Kalijaga received a special land in the Kadilangu area as a place to live, until he died and was buried.