How is it possible to strike a balance between seeking sacred knowledge and specializing in worldly sciences like medicine and engineering, with the desire to reconcile the two?

The knowledge inherited from the prophets is the best knowledge, and seeking it is more essential and beneficial than other types of knowledge. It is the original basis for preference. However, this ruling may change for some people. Seeking a less preferable type of knowledge may become preferable if it is difficult for a person to seek religious knowledge, and their mind is open to another science that the Ummah needs. As Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned, a less preferable action may be better for some people if it is more beneficial for them, or more beloved to them, or if they are incapable of performing the more preferable action. Thus, a less preferable action may become preferable due to an overriding benefit.