What is the ruling on promises and gifts that were not requested by others or that they have forgotten, and must they be fulfilled?

What you said to your friend about giving her a gift is a promise, and if she refuses your gift, the obligation to fulfill the promise is lifted from you. A thought about a gift does not constitute a binding promise. Your statement to someone, "I will buy you such and such," is also a promise. Scholars hold that fulfilling a promise is recommended unless not fulfilling it would cause harm to the person promised; in such a case, fulfillment becomes obligatory. This is the preponderant view, and fulfillment should be done in a manner considered righteous by Islamic law.

A covenant ( 'ahd ) is the preservation and care of something, and it is a binding agreement that must be fulfilled. The expiation for not fulfilling it may be similar to the expiation for an oath. As for a promise (wa'd), it is an announcement of an action to be performed in the future that relates to another person, and there is no expiation for it.