of the adopted. By contrast, Montgomery Watt points out that Zayd was high in Muhammad's esteem. "She can hardly have thought that he was not good enough. She was an ambitious woman, however, and may already have hoped to marry Muhammad; or she may have wanted to marry someone with whom Muhammad did not want his family to be so closely allied." When Muhammad announced a new verse of the Qur'an: Zaynab acquiesced and married Zayd. Muhammad personally paid the dower of 160 dirhams in cash, a cloak and veil, a coat of armour, 50 mudd of grain and 10 mudd of dates. Circumstances of the divorce The marriage lasted less than two years. The 9th-century historian al-Tabari gives two independent accounts of a visit that Muhammad paid to Zayd's house. The hairskin curtain that served as Zayd’s front door was blown aside, accidentally revealing Zaynab dressed only in her shift. Zaynab arose to dress herself, informing him that Zayd was not at home but he was welcome to visit. However, he did not enter. He exclaimed to himself, "Praise be to Allah, who turns hearts around!" and then departed. When Zayd came home, Zaynab told him what had happened. Zayd went to Muhammad, saying: "Prophet I have heard about your visit. Perhaps you admire Zaynab, so I will divorce her." Muhammad replied, "No, fear Allah and keep your wife." After this there was conflict between the couple, and Zaynab shut Zayd out of the bedroom. However, this story has been rejected by most Muslim scholars mainly because of its lack of having any chain of narration and its complete absence from any authentic hadith. Some commentators have found it absurd that Muhammad would suddenly become aware of Zaynab's beauty one day after having known her all her life. If her beauty had been the reason for Muhammad to marry her, he would have married her himself in the first place rather than arranging her marriage to Zayd. Furthermore, historiographic assessments suggest that the "lovestruck" narrative itself was a fabrication that developed over a century after the death of Muhammad. Zayd divorced Zaynab in December 626. Marriage to Muhammad Preparation for the marriage Muhammad expected criticism if he married Zaynab. Pre-Islamic custom disapproved of marriage between a man and his adopted son's former wife. Arab society would have viewed this union as profoundly wrong, because it was considered an adopted