If the imam considers the resting sitting obligatory and the follower does not, or vice versa, what is the ruling?

Question : It was asked: If the imam sits, whether he considers the sitting obligatory or sits because he needs to, is it prescribed for the follower to sit following his imam? And if the follower considers the sitting obligatory but the imam does not and does not sit, does the follower sit, or does he follow the imam’s sitting?

Answer : What is the answer? The answer is that the imam was made to lead by it and to be followed by it. So if the imam sits, it is permissible for the follower to sit, even if he does not consider the sitting obligatory; it is recommended for him to sit even if he does not consider it obligatory. And if the imam does not sit, it is not recommended for the follower to sit, even if he considers the sitting obligatory. This is contrary to some of the brothers who consider the sitting prescribed; you find them sitting while their imam has not sat. We hold that this is contrary to the Sunnah. Because if the imam stands up from the first tashahhud, and you are remembering, is it permissible for you to sit in the first tashahhud, or must you follow him? Do you understand, brothers? The imam stood up from the first tashahhud immediately.
You are reciting the first tashahhud there; do you sit and recite the tashahhud while the imam is standing, or do you stand with him? You stand with him. So if the follower leaves the obligatory sitting for the sake of following the imam, then leaving the recommended sitting is all the more so. However, some scholars say there is no harm in the follower sitting; there is no harm, did you see the change? There is no harm in the follower sitting if he considers the resting sitting obligatory, because it is a light sitting and he does not wish to oppose the imam. Yes, it is a light sitting, but what we hold is that he should not sit. And even if there is no harm, he should not sit in order to achieve what? In order to achieve following, following the imam. Even Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If a man prays behind an imam who recites the supplication in the Fajr prayer, does he say "Ameen" to his supplication or not? He says "Ameen" to his supplication. He does not say, "I know it to be an innovation and I did not follow the imam." No, he follows his imam and says "Ameen" to his supplication, even if he does not consider it