Shi‘ites not only interpret as saying that the Imam is appointed by God, but that the Imam's Ismah is manifest. They also believe that Ismah is a hidden virtue, and that, in order to assure that God's message is clear, so that people will not have ignorance as an excuse on the Day of Resurrection, God must provide a succession of Imams, each with the appropriate attributes and Ismah, as messengers, to guide the people and to interpret the Qur'an for all time.