Ibn Abdul Barr reported: Sufyan al-Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Verily, sacred knowledge is only studied to become mindful of Allah. Knowledge is only favored over other virtues because it makes one mindful of Allah.”
Source: Jāmiʻ Bayān al-ʻIlm 759
عن ابن عبد البر قَالَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ رحمه الله إِنَّمَا يُتَعَلَّمُ الْعِلْمُ لِيُتَّقَى اللَّهُ بِهِ وَإِنَّمَا فُضِّلَ الْعِلْمُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ لأَنَّهُ يُتَّقَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهِ
759 جامع بيان العلم وفضله لابن عبد البر