A guiding word from the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) to the student of knowledge regarding the importance of understanding scientific issues and not relying on memorization alone.

What matters to me regarding the student of knowledge is not that he memorizes the issues; memorizing the issues is easy. I believe the recorder is stronger than us in memorizing the issues, is he not? ... If you give the recorder a thousand issues and come back after twenty years, he will give them to you, will he not? He will give them to you, but the important thing for the student of knowledge is that he understands. In understanding, there is understanding of the indication from the Qur'an and from the Sunnah as well. This is what Allah opens up for a person, granting him much knowledge that no one else can attain. For this reason, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib said when he was asked: "Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) leave you with anything?" He said: "No, except what is in this sheet, or an understanding that Allah the Exalted grants to a person in the Qur'an". Look, and there is no doubt that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) had a great deal of understanding of the Qur'an. So the important thing is that I love for the student of knowledge to be eager for understanding. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So memorization is in the position of the pharmacist; the pharmacist has all the medicines, but understanding, establishing, and deriving is in the position of the doctor who can direct the medicines and benefit from them. The pharmacist memorizes them for you, but the doctor is the one who benefits and is of benefit. So the most important thing for me for the student of knowledge in interpreting the Qur'an, and likewise in the Sunnah, is understanding, derivation, and branching out. I think it has passed us that the indication of a word to its meaning is on three aspects, or not? Mutabaqah, tadamun, and tilazum. Mutabaqah and tadamun are simple; the lowest student of knowledge can know them. But tilazum, this is the important one, and from it branch out issues that no one can count except Allah. The indication of tilazum, if a person is granted success in it, he attains much good in this issue. Yes, that is right.