How can one avoid showing off (riya') and vanity ('ujb) when leading prayers (imamah), especially if the congregants praise the recitation, knowing that others do not properly recite Al-Fatihah?

Ostentation (riya') is a dangerous disease, and it is what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, feared most for his Ummah. Among the greatest aids to achieving sincerity and repelling ostentation during imamate is for a person to know that he stands before Allah the Almighty, and that He knows what is in his heart and hears his recitation.

For treating ostentation, there are two stages: 1. Uprooting its roots and foundations: This is done by the servant knowing the harm it causes in this world and the Hereafter, what he misses in terms of the soundness of his heart and Allah's divine grace, and the great punishment he exposes himself to. 2. Repelling what immediately comes to mind from it: This is by accustoming oneself to concealing acts of worship and closing doors against them, so that the heart becomes content with Allah's knowledge and awareness.

Do not cease leading prayers out of fear of ostentation. Rather, strive to achieve sincerity, especially when there is no one else suitable for imamate. If everyone who feared ostentation abandoned imamate, there would be no one to lead the congregational prayers.