How did Islam spread more deeply among settled Kazakhs?

For much of their history, the Kazakhs maintained an informal and permissive approach to Islam while living as nomads. The practice of the religion deepened significantly as Kazakhs transitioned into settled life or traveled to urban centers for education.1

When young Kazakhs moved to towns such as Bukhara or Sterlitamak, they enrolled in Muslim maktabs (primary schools) and madrasahs. In these institutions, religion served as the primary subject and ideological framework. This educational experience transformed the younger generation of intellectuals into urban-style Muslims, a shift that occurred prior to the rise of the Soviet regime in the early 1920s.1