If the imam prays sitting, it is obligatory for the ma'mum to follow him

The Shaykh : Peace be upon you.

The questioner : ... ؟

The Shaykh : Most of the time during my last illness, I am unable to follow the prayer from a standing position. Now, I will begin the prayer standing. If you see me stand up for the second rak'ah, you stand with me. And if you see that I am unable to stand and continue the prayer sitting, your obligation, as you know, is to follow the imam, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . So now, it is upon you to follow the imam whether sitting or standing, in accordance with the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . This is a reminder, and the reminder benefits the believers... A question may arise: if you are compelled to sit with me, how should you sit? You should sit in whatever manner is easy for you, either sitting as one sits in the tashahhud, or sitting in another position that allows you to rest. And beware of doing what the people of Mu'adh did with Mu'adh when he led them one day and prayed with them sitting, extending his leg toward the qiblah, or his legs. This is what I do when I am compelled to pray standing. Before he realized it, the entire congregation behind him had extended their legs toward the qiblah. After the prayer, he asked them why they had done so. They said, "We saw you do it, so we did it." He said, "I did this because of an illness." This serves as a warning that the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): , applies only to actions that are part of the prayer. Extending the leg in this manner is not, so to speak, part of the worship of the prayer. Therefore, the imam is followed only in what is part of the actions of the prayer, and not in other matters. This is also a reminder, and the reminder benefits the believers.