Who is Ziyad ibn Abih?

Ziyad ibn Abihi was born in the year of the Hijra in Ta'if and did not see the Prophet, peace be upon him. He was known as Ziyad ibn Ubayd, then Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan adopted him after testimony that Abu Sufyan had adopted him. After the end of the Umayyad dynasty, he became known as Ziyad ibn Abihi. The scholars are unanimous in prohibiting his attribution to Abu Sufyan due to the Hadith: "The child belongs to the marriage bed, and for the fornicator is the stone." Ziyad was of great intellect, strong in knowledge, skilled in politics, and served as a governor during the reigns of both Ali and Mu'awiya.