The Ruling on Following the Imam in the Tashahhud and Tawruk

The questioner:
Salih, may Allah preserve you. The second question is from our brother Hissam, an Egyptian resident of al-Qassim. He says: If I join the congregation in the second rak'ah of a three- or four-rak'ah prayer, and the imam is in the final tashahhud, is that the first tashahhud for me? And do I recite the full tashahhud with the salawat upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or only the first half?

The Shaykh:
You follow the imam. If you are behind an imam, you follow him. Yes.

The questioner:
And does he catch the end of the prayer?

The Shaykh:
If he catches up with the imam, that is the beginning of his prayer, and what he does after the imam is the end of it. Yes.

The questioner:
And he asks: Do I sit in tawruk with the imam, or do I sit in tawruk at the end of my own prayer?

The Shaykh:
In the first tashahhud, you sit in iftirash, and in the final tashahhud, you sit in tawruk. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence the Shaykh