Various changes in the social, economic and political order that are developing today have an impact on the terminology and conception of the purpose of education. This article aims to describe the thoughts of Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, the philosopher of Islamic education in the Malay world, about the concept of ta'dib as a clarification of Islamic education. According to al-Attas the concept of Islamic education must be returned to its essence, namely to prepare, direct, and restore the purpose of education to its essence. The essence of the purpose of education is to make students understand and realize their position in the order of existence and the creation of an orderly cosmos, and their relations as beings with Allah (khaliq). This has implications for students' conviction that whatever they do is in order to get closer to Him. From here, humans will naturally be born with good manners and noble characters. Education, thus, is a media of clarification to remind, acknowledge, and re-cognize each person's existence to his khaliq in accordance with the primordial agreement (pre-existence).