Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy upon him) wrote:

“Chapter: What is Said In Regards to Abscesses, Pimples, and the likes

عن بعض أزواج النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – دخل عليها – يعني النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم – قال : ” عندك ذريرة ؟ ” . قالت : نعم ، فدعا بها فوضعها على بثر بين أصابع رجليه ، ثم قال : ” اللهم مصغر الكبير ومكبر الصغير أطفئها عني ” فطفئت

On the authority of some wives of the Prophet that he (ﷺ) entered upon her [and he (ﷺ) had a pimple]. He (ﷺ) said: Do you have Calamus? She said: Yes. So he (ﷺ) called for it and placed it on the pimple between his toes. Then he (ﷺ) said:

اللَّهُمَّ مُصَغِّرَ الْكَبِيرِ وَمُكَبِّرَ الصَّغِيرِ أَطْفِئْهَا عَنِّي

‘Oh the One who makes that which is big small and that which is small big, extinguish it from me’

Then it was extinguished”

[Reported by Nasaai in Amal al-Yawm wa Laylah no. 1031 and Ahmad (5/370). Graded Saheeh by Shaikh Saleem al-Hilali in Saheeh Adhkaar an-Nawawiyyah no. 289]

Imam Ibn Qayyim mentions this in his book Kitab at-Tibb. He (may Allah have mercy upon him) wrote:”Dharirah is an Indian medicine taken from the Acorus Calamus. It is hot and dry…” [Kitab at-Tibb (pg. 81)]

Shaikh Ibn ul-‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy upon him) was asked:

Question:

The questioner says: what is the ruling on using creams and oils to whiten the skin or remove acne and distortions?

Answer:

“As for the first, then no. She should not use something that will change the color of the skin because this is worse then tattooing, for which the one who does that is cursed. As for removing acne and what resembles that, then there is no harm because this is curing a sickness. There is no harm in curing sicknesses. So there is a difference between what is intended for beautification and what is intended for removing a defect. So the first one is not allowed if it upon a permanent form and the second one is allowed” [Noor ‘ala Darb (no. 369]

And Allah Knows Best

Translated by

Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan