This work has attempted to delineate the scholars, their ideas on Islamic knowledge and education, and the impact they had on society which was later transformed to accommodate and be relevant to their period. We delineated the effort of a few scholars such as Shaykh Abdul Samad Palembani, Shaykh Daud al-Fatani and Hasyim Asy'ari who established the traditional pesantrens which were very significant for enlightening the Malay masses, although their curriculum were confined to the fard'ayn sciences only. It is through their efforts, writings and works that the Malays obtained an understanding of their faith and its demand, and also a strong attachment to it, although it might not be holistic. It was only later after the contact with Western civilization that the Malays realised the weakness of their traditional schools and thus, the series of educational reforms toward an integrated system of education.