Sutayta Al-Mahāmali was born around the late 9th or early 10th century in what is now Baghdad, Iraq. She was born to a family of scholars and judges but her contributions to history have been overlooked for the most part. She studied under a number of teachers and became an expert in Arabic literature, jurisprudence, the interpretation of sacred texts, and mathematics. Her speciality, which a number of individuals came to her for consultation advice for, was algebra. She was especially famous in her time for her ability to solve mathematical problems related to inheritance. In addition to her contributions to the world of mathematics, Sutayta was also a valuable asset to Islamic studies and Arab culture. During her lifetime, she contributed to Arabic literature and hadith, a collection of translations based off of the sayings of the Prophet (saw). She passed away in 987 CE.