Does attending gatherings of knowledge suffice in place of studying books?

Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: I am, praise be to Allah, very keen on attending the gatherings of scholars. For nine years now, I have been keen on attending gatherings of knowledge, especially your lessons. But my problem is that I am content with these lessons and do not study the books. Is this sufficient, or is it necessary to also study the books?

Answer:
If you attend the lessons of the shaykhs, you must read the books they explain before you attend. You must read the books they explain before you attend so that if something is unclear to you, you can ask about it, and nothing remains in the book that you do not understand. If you read the book and then hear the shaykh’s explanation of it, that knowledge becomes firmly established in your mind. But if you come without having read the book and only hear the explanation, it does not become firmly established in your mind as it would if you had read the book before attending. Yes. May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: Even if you had memorized the book by heart, that would be better and more effective for learning. And if you do not memorize it, at least read it and reflect on it before you memorize it, so that perhaps if you understood it incorrectly, it would be corrected by the teacher. If something is unclear to you, ask the teacher about it, so that you understand the book well.