In Damascus in 754/1353, the Muslim Mamluk scholar Taqi al-Din al-Subki (d.756/1355) wrote his epistle 'Sabab al-inkifaf ‘an iqra’ al-Kashshaf (Reasons for Cessation from the Teaching of al-Kashshaf)'. In it, he declares that he stopped reading and teaching al-Zamakhshari’s (d. 538/1144) Qur’an commentary, Kashshaf, which he had loved during his youth in Cairo. After moving to Damascus, he became uneasy about Kashshaf’s Mu‘tazili views that denigrate the Prophet Muhammad. Walid Saleh argues that this shift may reflect the intellectual struggle between different spectra of Islam such as Sunni and Mu‘tazili. I will assess al-Subki’s shift by examining the socio-political conditions of the Mamluk fourteenth century. Political, geographic, and social differences between Cairo and Damascus helped shape the Mamluks’ policies and the religious elite’s attitudes towards Kashshaf, which was popular in ?ufi and Shi‘i circles. Cairo was politically stable and socially tolerant, due to its geographical location far from the areas of political tension. ?ufis and Shi‘is had no clear political affiliations and were able to work in the Mamluk bureaucracy. Furthermore, despite some harassment, Cairo did not record any executions of ?ufis or Shi‘is. In this environment, Kashshaf did not represent a political threat, despite its incompatibilities with Sunni ideology. In Damascus, the situation was different; the region was politically inflamed and socially turbulent. Geographically, it bordered the Mongols and the crusaders, who were at war with the Mamluks. Resistance movements within Mamluk lands could create alliances within bordering states, including the newly emerged Sarbadar, which sponsored a doctrine that combined ?ufi and Shi‘i ideas. To strengthen security, the Mamluks took strict measures here against ?ufis and Shi‘is. As a judge in the Mamluk court in Damascus, therefore, al-Subki took a firm stance against Kashshaf.