Who is Ibn Khuwaiz Mandad?

Ibn Khuwayz Mandad was a Maliki jurist. Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi referred to him by the kunya Abu Bakr, and named him Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abdullah. However, Qadi Iyad found him in his books with the kunya Abu Abdullah, and his name as Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Ishaq. He studied jurisprudence under al-Abhari and heard hadith, narrating from a number of shaykhs. He authored books on legal disagreements (khilaf), principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh), and the rulings of the Qur'an (ahkam al-Qur'an). He held some anomalous views diverging from Malik, as well as distinct choices and interpretations in fiqh and usul that were not adopted by the jurists of the Maliki school. He distanced himself from scholastic theology (kalam) and its proponents, even going so far as to express aversion towards the Ash'ari theologians among the Sunnis, judging them to be among the people of whims and desires.