Each great figure reaches a point where s/he surpasses his/her teacher. When we reach that level, we have to venture into uncharted territory.
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali entered his madrasa as a child, seeking what the Creator of the universe wanted from him. Later, as the top teacher in the top school, he had to search again. He dropped everything and went on a search. Until that point, his books carried him to the the highest of heights. But, now he had to fly higher.
As Jalal al-Din Muhammad (Rumi) was the ocean of knowledge in his community, he was confronted with the wisdom of Shams, who propelled him also into the land beyond books. Books carried him to the highest of heights, and now he had to fly higher.
And, when Malcolm X faced the true practice of Islam, he had to step away from his long time mentor Elijah. His intense study of books carried him to the highest of heights, and now he had to fly higher.
The blessed Prophet Muhammad -p- reached a level in paradise that his own teacher, Gabriel, could not reach. He had to go to the deepest levels of paradise alone. And, he flew higher than all of us.
In the search for God, books carry us to the highest of heights. S0on, however, we must fly without them.