He knew various qirāʾāt (Qur'anic readings). He had studied the fiqh of the Shāfiʿī madhhab (legal school). He was an implacable enemy of the Ḥanbalīs and was a fierce and stubborn adversary against the vizier Ibn Hubayra and Ibn Jawzī. He used to say to Ibn Jawzī: "My aim is to uproot your madhhab from its roots and to make your name fall from mouths and be forgotten."
When Ibn Hubayra died in this year, he directed the weight of his enmity towards Ibn Jawzī. Ibn Jawzī feared him. However, Ibn Jawzī was very pleased when he died in the month of Dhu al-Qaʿda of this year.