To what extent is it true that Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, proposed to Zaynab, may Allah be pleased with her, before her marriage to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and when she refused him, he supplicated: "O Allah, marry her to someone better than me, and marry me to someone better than her," so the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, married her, and he [Ali] married Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her?

This narration has no basis from Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him. None of the scholars of hadith have mentioned it with an isnad (chain of narration), nor have the biographers mentioned that Ali proposed to Zaynab bint Jahsh.

What is established is that the Prophet, peace be upon him, married Zaynab to Zayd ibn Harithah. Then Zayd divorced her, and then the Prophet, peace be upon him, married her. Ali had already married Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, before the Prophet married Zaynab.

What has spread regarding Ali proposing to Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, and her rejection, and his supplication: "O Allah, grant Umm Salamah better than me, and grant me better than her," also has no basis.

The supplication narrated from Abu Salamah upon his deathbed is: "O Allah, replace for Umm Salamah better than Abu Salamah." This has a good isnad and another authentic one.

Therefore, the statement that Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, proposed to Zaynab or Umm Salamah, and that she rejected him, so he supplicated to Allah to grant him better than her and grant her better than him, has no basis.