What would happen if all the Islamic books in the world were removed for a moment or a day, including every copy of the Muṣḥaf?
Would Islam stop?
No.
Islamic life would continue. Within a few days, the Qur'an as a Muṣḥaf would surely be rewritten. At the very least, the essential Islamic books would also be rewritten.
Now consider the opposite scenario.
Suppose all the scholars were removed for a day, or even for a moment, while all the books of Islam remained.
What would happen?
Would there be prayer? Would there be Qur'an recitation?
No.
The new generation, despite having all the books, would not be able to perform a single rak'ah of prayer correctly. Not a single verse of the Qur'an would be recited properly. Even the opening letters "Alif Lām Mīm" might be read as "Alam", based solely on the spelling.
We recite as we do because we heard those who know recite. We pray as we do because we saw those who know pray.
There is a living transmission—both oral and practical—carried through the hearts of believers from generation to generation, something books alone cannot provide. Books preserve the record; scholars preserve the living reality.
This shows that the ʿUlamāʾ are the primary source and the living carriers of Islamic knowledge. Books serve as a means of preservation, support, and verification of what they teach.
One aspect of modernity is the shift from scholars to books. We often hear statements such as, "Scholars can be wrong, but their books are correct."
Yet books do not teach by themselves. Knowledge is transmitted through people before it is preserved in writing.
Therefore, understand that the roots of Islamic knowledge lie with the scholars, while books remain an essential means of preserving and supporting that knowledge.
And Allah knows best.