Is it obligatory to purify the soul through worship, the Quran, and duties while minimizing attention to seeking knowledge, or to focus on seeking knowledge and striving therein?

There is no contradiction between seeking knowledge and purifying the soul, for Islamic knowledge inherits soul purification, and sincere intention in seeking it makes it an act of worship. Retreating from seeking knowledge may be from Satan to hinder one from high ranks with Allah, for Allah raises those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, clarified the superiority of the scholar over the worshiper, and that the angels seek forgiveness for the scholar, and that scholars are the inheritors of the prophets. It is advised to continue seeking knowledge and combining it with worship, and to focus on purifying the soul and acting upon what one has learned, and to memorize the Quran and regularly recite one's daily portion.