In 1956 Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah suffered from several bouts of illness. He was crippled by lumago and Sciatica and protracted cancer.

So whenever his condition deteriorated, we thronged into Jamatkhanas (Ismaili places of worship) at Mid-day and Mid-night to invoke Allah and recite aloud

 

• Ya Rehman! Ya Rahim! i.e. O Benficent! O Merciful!
• As SubhanAllah! i.e. Allah is exalted and Glorious!
• Al Hamdulillah! i.e. All praise be to Allah!
• Allahu Akbar! i.e. Allah is Great!
• Astaghaffirullahu Rabbi wa atubu illahi! i.e. Verily I seek the forgiveness of Allah Who is my Lord – sustainer and I turn to Him in repentance!

 

And when he died in 1957, we went for forty days to recite the above.

Strange – is it not – that The Imams cannot help themselves but they can help and solve all the problems of all the Ismailis world over!
Their dead (Hadrat Ali) and the present Imam can hear the pleadings of the living world over without being physically present!