Abu al-Abbas Ahmad bin Abd al-Rahman bin Muhammad bin Sa'id bin Harith bin Asim al-Lakhmi al-Qurtubi, better known as Ibn Maḍāʾ (; 1116–1196) was an Arab Muslim polymath from Córdoba in Islamic Spain. Ibn Mada was notable for having challenged the traditional formation of Arabic grammar and of the common understanding of linguistic governance among Arab grammarians, performing an overhaul first suggested by Al-Jahiz 200 years prior. He is considered the first linguist in history to address the subject of dependency in the grammatical sense in which it is understood today, and was instrumental during the Almohad reforms as chief judge of the Almohad Caliphate. Biography Education Ibn Mada's exact date of birth is a matter of dispute, having been listed as both 1116 and 1119 according to the Gregorian calendar. His family was famous within their local community. Ibn Mada was not known to have traveled outside of Cordoba prior to his academic study. He grew up in a family of noble origin, and as a youth he seemed to concern himself only with pursuing his education. In addition to religion, he was also well-versed in geometry and medicine. He moved from Cordoba to Seville where he studied Arabic grammar and syntax from the works of Sibawayh. Later, he left the Iberian Peninsula for Ceuta in North Africa in order to study historiography and prophetic tradition with Muslim academic Qadi Ayyad. Ibn Mada was most affected by his linguistic study, excelling so far as to develop his own independent opinions in regard to disputes among grammarians. Career Ibn Mada initially served as a judge in Fes in present-day Morocco and later at Béjaïa in present-day Algeria. It was during his initial judgeship that he was a teacher of fellow Andalusian theologian and litterateur, Ibn Dihya al-Kalby. Later on, Almohad Caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf chose him to serve as the chief judge for the caliphate. He served in Fes, Marrakesh and Seville, outliving Abu Yaqub to serve under the caliph's son Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur and remaining as the empire's chief judge for the remainder of his life. During the Almohad reforms, he assisted the Almohad authorities in banning any and all religious books written by non-Zahirites during the reign of Abu Yaqub Yusuf, and oversaw the outright burning of such books under Yusuf's son Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur. Ibn Maḍāʾs adherence to Zahirism has been described by Dutch arabist