What is your advice to a student who wishes to become a religious scholar, and what are the best ways to memorize the Qur’an, and the best commented and simplified books in the science of Hadith?

The optimal way to memorize the Qur’an is to seek out a skilled shaykh and commit to memorizing and reciting to him. If that is not possible, then you must organize your time, memorize a specific portion daily, recite it to a proficient reciter, and continuously repeat and review it. As for seeking knowledge, begin by reading easy books in every discipline, and listen to lectures and explanations from esteemed scholars.