Born in 1889 in the village of Mediak in Chelyabinsk province, Orenburg Governorate (these days in the Argayashsky District, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia) to the family of the religious leader of a local Islamic community; his father Gabidulla Kurbangaliev was the local Imam khatib and a religious teacher who had a number of followers (Murids).

Promoted the foundation of Argayash National Okrug, a Bashkir ethnic administration region in the north of the present-day Chelyabinsk Oblast.

Together with his father, acted as the main opponent of Zeki Velidi Togan in the Bashkir national and liberation movement.

Entered into alliances with White Movement’s military leaders: Vladimir Kappel, Roman Ungern von Sternberg, Grigory Semyonov to protect Bashkirs’ interests.

Muhammed Kurbangaliev emigrated to Manchuria, where he attempted to bring together the émigré Bashkir and Turkic-speaking communities, arrange for traditional Islamic religious practices among them, support native-language instruction, acting as an Imam and mudarris (teacher).

In 1932-1936, founded a Muslim community in Manchukuo, a medrese in Mukden, a publication called ”Япон Мөхбире” (Yapon Möxbire “Japan’s Herald” in Turkic languages).

In 1945, when World War II ended, Muhammed Kurbangaliev was arrested by NKVD (the Soviet secret Police), condemned to 10 years’ imprisonment for "high treason".