Following the imam with regard to doing or omitting recommended actions in the prayer

Question

Praise be to Allah.

The
one who is praying behind an imam should do what he thinks is Sunnah,
whether the imam does it or not, unless what the individual does will lead
to problems in following the imam, such as doing something too late after
him or doing it before him. In that case, he should refrain from doing what
he thinks is Sunnah, for the sake of following the imam properly.

What
the questioner asked about – raising the hands before and after bowing –
will not lead to any problems in following the imam, so he should still do
it.

An
example of something that will lead to problems in following the imam is if
the one who is praying behind him thinks that it is mustahabb to sit and
rest briefly (after the second prostration, in the first or third rak‘ah,
when it is not followed by tashahhud) and the imam does not. In that case
the one who is praying behind the imam should refrain from doing it.

This
has been explained in the answer to question no. 34458

Shaykh
Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

With
regard to matters that will not lead to doing something too late after the
imam or doing it before him, the one who is praying behind the imam may do
what he believes is correct. For example, if the imam does not think that
the hands should be raised when saying the takbeer before bowing, when
rising from bowing and when standing up after the first tashahhud, but the
one who is praying behind him thinks that this is mustahabb, then he may do
that, because it will not lead to him doing something too late after the
imam or doing it before him. Hence the Messenger (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: “When he says takbeer, then say takbeer, when he
bows, then bow, and when he prostrates, then prostrate.” The fa
(translated here as “then”) indicates that one thing is done immediately
after the other. Similarly, if the imam sits mutawarrikan ( i.e.,
sitting with the

left foot forward and holding the other foot upright, sitting on one’s
behind) in every tashahhud that is followed by the salaam, even in the two
rak‘ah prayers and the one who is praying behind him does not think that he
should sit mutawarrikan except in a second tashahhud of prayer in which two
tashahhuds are prescribed, then in this case he may refrain from sitting
mutawarrikan with his imam in a two-rak‘ah prayer, because this will not
lead to him
doing something too late after the imam or doing it before him. End quote.

Ash-Sharh al-Mumti‘,
2/319-320

And
Allah knows best.