She used a skin-bleaching cream and became seriously ill

Question: 98622

I'm ninteen years old girl that has been sick for a year soon, but Al hamdulillah I'm much better now. Before I got sick I was not practicing my religion, like praying or wearing hijab. But after I got sick I started to realize stuff about myself and Allah speceally. I read on this site that it is haram to bleach your skin, and I did not know that. So one day my moms fruiend came to our house to sale some products and clothes that she had brougth from an arabic country. And she gave me this cream called Movate cream, and I started to use it I use it evey day and night. And one day as I was in the bathroom I decide to apply it on myself, and as I was applying it on I got some around my mouth tnk much about it. and just dríed my lips and around my mouth with a towel. After about one or two days I started to notice changes around my lips, like my lipsline was disapering but I said to myself bismillahi a cream cant change how Allah has made you look like.
Another day or two passed and I started to get really sick like throwing up and having darriea, and I kept on seeing more changes and the started to get more and more dramatic, now my whole appriance started to change and my bodyshape. Anyhows now its a about a year when all of that happened, and I have change very much in my apprience and my body, all of me infact and it seems that the cream has change me to the point that I even dont look like myself and how Allah has created me. I know its possible that the cream has that power, but I have became soo depressed on this issue that I even think sometimes that I have blown my whole furture away, I have been to the docters and they said that I have some kind of a brain inflammation, oh forgot to say that while I was applying the cream I got some in my nose..and they are still taking tests on my..but I think that the cause of my getting sick is the cream..Now what I was wondering is how should I move on?, I still today see changes myself alot, I have started to learn a lot more about the deen of Allah, and I know now that the Messenger of Allah ( Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) curse those who bleach their skin for beauty, may Allah forgive me if I qoute it wrong. I feel as if Í have came to a state that I dont know if I can get up again, I know too that I'm in this state because of my ignorence. But know I'm trying to fill my ignorance with knowledge, and when I was using the cream my purpoes was not to change my appriance. So please can you give my advice on what I should do? How can I look like Allah created me again, are they any dua for this? Please help me to became a better muslim.

Answer

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.

Firstly:

We ask Allah to heal you and make you well, and we ask Him, may He be exalted, to increase your reward. We advise you to bear this calamity with patience and seek reward for it with Allah, because patience and seeking reward are the ways to attain great reward when calamity strikes.

It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri and Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “No exhaustion, pain, anxiety, grief or harm befalls a Muslim, not even a thorn that pricks him, but Allah will expiate some of his sins thereby.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5318) and Muslim (2573).

You should understand that the mercy of Allah encompasses everything, and that if what you did by using this cream – which we have read is dangerous and that its use is banned in some countries – is a sin, you should not think that the mercy of Allah is far away from you. Allah, may He be exalted, accepts the repentance of His believing slaves even if they commit major sins that transgress against others, such as murder and zina, and He accepts the repentance of mushrikeen and apostates that have to do with disbelief in Him, may He be exalted, and Allah even turns their bad deeds into good, so there is no reason for you to feel that the mercy of Allah is far away from you. When you used this cream you were unaware of the consequences, and you did not do it with the intention of changing the creation of Allah as you say.

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allah, nor kill such person as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse __and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.

69. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;

70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful

71. And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards Allah with true repentance” [al-Furqaan 25:68-71]

What we would like you to do and what we advise you to do is to carry on drawing closer to Allah by offering obligatory and naafil prayers, seeking knowledge and doing whatever you can of naafil acts of worship.

Remember that Allah may intend something good for you by testing you with these sicknesses, so that you will return to Him by doing acts of worship. Whatever Allah decrees for the believer is good for him. If Allah gives him wealth, status and blessings, he gives thanks and that is good for him, and if his Lord tests him with sickness and poverty he bears it with patience and that is good for him, and this applies to no one but the believer.

It was narrated that Suhayb said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “How wonderful is the situation of the believer, for all his affairs are good. If something good happens to him, he gives thanks for it and that is good for him; if something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him. This does not apply to anyone but the believer.”

Narrated by Muslim (2999).

Secondly:

With regard to that with which Allah has tested you, you should note that you need to do two things in order to rid yourself of this trial that Allah, may He be exalted, has decreed for you.

1 – Look for the appropriate physical remedy, whether it involves natural herbs or chemical medicines that do not cause any harm or surgery, or remedies concerning which it is narrated that there is healing in them, such as honey, Zamzam water, black seed and so on. All of these come under the heading of permissible treatment. There is no disease but there is a remedy for it; those who know it know it and those who do not know it do not know it. For more information on that please consult trustworthy and skilled specialists.

2 – Also follow spiritual remedies that are prescribed in sharee’ah, such as praying for forgiveness, du’aa’, and adhkaar that are prescribed as ruqyahs. You will find more information on that, with the evidence, in the answers to questions no. 69766 and 9691.

It is very important that you read the answer to question no. 71236, which describes the believer’s attitude towards calamity.

See also the answer to question no. 82866 which describes the bitter experience of a sister who went astray, and how she was advised to come back to the right path.

Finally, we warn our respected sisters against using cosmetics, creams and other things that are made from chemicals or impure substances and which may have dangerous side-effects. They should beware of the advertisements which are used to market these products, and they should be content with that which is made from natural substances or herbs that are not harmful.

We ask Allah to heal our sister quickly and to decree reward for her, and to make goodness easy for her wherever it is.

And Allah knows best.

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