He was a highly regarded jurisconsult, hadith expert, historian, grammarian, scriptural exegete, theologian, logician, researcher, literary writer, preacher, judge, debater and one of the greatest legal theoretician in the Shafi'i school.
[2][4][5][6][7] Although he died aged 44, he was considered one of the best scholars of his day and held some of the highest academic positions ever documented in the medieval history of Syria.
The attention of the Mamluk opened schools, mosques, and other establishments to make this state a destination for scholars, thinkers, and students to learn knowledge.
If one made a review of these productions, he/she would see that them as the title of a great challenge delivered by this nation to its enemies, as a reaction to the attempts of the Mongols and the Crusaders to obliterate the Islamic civilization.
Additionally, he studied under the renowned writer, theologian, and historian Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi, who was the traditions professor at the Damascus chapel Umm al-Salih.
Prior to assuming any governmental post, Taj al-Din was a teacher at Damascus' elite educational institutions, including al-Taqwiyya, al-Dimaghiyya, al-Nasiriyya, al-Qimariyya, and the traditional al-‘Ashrafiyya, al-Aziziyya, al-Shamiyya al-Barraniyya, al-Adiliyya, and al-Masruriyya.
Aged 28, he was initially named head of the Qadi (judge) of Damascus in the month of Rabi I, one of the most prestigious and significant civil offices in the nation.
Taj al-Din himself moved to Cairo, where he became the Khatib (preacher) at the Mosque of Ibn Tulun and replaced his brother as a professor of Shafi'ite law.
[12] Taj al-Din's time in Cairo was brief; the same year he went back to Damascus and started working as a teacher at al-Shamiyya al-Barraniyya, al-Aminiyya, the traditional school al-Ashrafiyya, and al-Udrawiyya.
It was said that among the reasons for his removal from the judiciary were rulings that he issued that did not please those in authority, and they asked him to retract them, but he refused, and it was said that he was imprisoned because he wrote his book "The Restorer of Blessings," in which he presented his vision for reforming the government system in the Mamluk state.
Taj al-Din was now reinstated and assumed the position of head qadi for the fourth and final time in 770 A.H., and was appointed a professor at al-Shamiyya.
[7] Taj al-Din was undoubtedly one of the most well-known individuals of his day, based on what is known about his life events, character, positions in government, and literary creations.
Being a modest man, he was so great an expert on legal topics that he wrote to the Na'ib of Syria once, saying, "I am today on the whole the mujtahid – a supreme authority on matters of law – of the world."
Hajji Khalifa thus frequently cites him as an authority on the authorship of certain writings, as well as an expert on legal works and on the commentary and critique of texts.
In performing his responsibilities as chief qadi, teacher in several schools, preacher, and book author, he effectively applied his research, knowledge, eloquence, and literary talent.
However, he is equally unyielding in his beliefs and sense of moral right and wrong, and he is the most vocal when it comes to issues of negligence, failings, or wrongdoings, regardless of the party involved—high or low, friend or foe—and wherever they may be found.
He appears to have been utterly certain, severe and uncompromising in his views of what was good or wrong, unwavering in his candour, and seemingly unaffected by any factors or influences.
The audacious and unreserved way he now scornfully criticises and mocks the conceit, incompetence, excesses, and transgressions of people in positions of power—as judges, rulers, and scholars—would win him adversaries among the upper classes.
As a result, Ibn Kathir is frequently used by local biographers to effectively summarise his life's events: "He faced hardships and challenges that had never befallen a qadi before him, as well as high positions, as had not come to any one before him.
"[15] Ibn al-Subki was a contemporary of the Turkish Mamluk state (Bahriyya), and he lived in the era in which the sons of Al-Nasir Muhammad and his grandchildren ruled.
[13] Then, during the positions he held, Ibn al-Subki closely looked at the conditions of the state and society, and learned about the corruption that befell them, and identified its causes.
Then he presented his vision for reforming it, including his answer to a question he had received, through which he depicted for us the political, social, and economic life in the Mamluk state that he lived in.
Egypt did not know another of its sons of his caliber until the appearance of Sheikh Muhammad.”[13] Taj al-Din al-Subki is renowned for having written a great deal for how brief his life was.
[7] Taj al-Din took great care and attention to the this science; he sometimes studied them, sometimes composed them, looked at those who came before them, talked about those who disagreed with them, and occasionally verified what their forebears had said.
Because of the great range of scholars at that time, it prospered scientifically and culturally after the third century AH, leaving a significant legacy in the numerous domains of knowledge for future generations.
Not only that, but in the sciences of "Al-Jarh" (Criticism) and "At-Ta'dil" (Justification), he set unique guidelines in which he critiques his predecessors and clarified his own widely accepted opinion about jarh and ta'deel.
As a result, in order to understand the character of this exceptional scholar who produced all of this intellectual richness, researchers had to closely examine these volumes.
[19] If an individual peruses the writings of Ibn al-Subki and discerns sobriety in style, precision in language, and exquisite word choice, then they are a writer connoisseur and this is merely an example.
Because he lived with the writer and literary giant of his era, Salah al-Din al-Safadi, from childhood onward, and they corresponded and engaged in discussions about literature.
Taj al-Din's investigation of grammar is evident in his Tabaqat, particularly in his translation of Sheikh Abu Hayyan and the significant grammatical concerns he raised.