Ibn Abdul Barr reported: Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “The stories and gatherings of the scholars are more beloved to me than a great deal of law, for they have the best manners and character.”
Source: Jāmi’ Bayān al-‘Ilm 582
عن ابن عبد البر عَنْ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ رحمه الله قَالَ الْحِكَايَاتُ عَنِ الْعُلَمَاءِ وَمِجَالَسَتُهُمْ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْفِقْهِ لأَنَّهَا آدَابُ الْقَوْمِ وَأَخْلاقُهُمْ
582 جامع بيان العلم وفضله لابن عبد البر