Does Ibn al-Qayyim's statement mean that Allah Almighty exists in His essence outside the world in all directions in a manner unknown to us?

Summary of the Answer: Ibn al-Qayyim stated that among the proofs of Allah's exaltedness and His being above all creation is that Allah instilled in His servants the innate recognition of this truth, and that clear rational proofs also attest to it. Among these is that Allah is distinct from His creation, and the world is spherical, thus Allah could only be in the direction of highness or lowness, and therefore, Allah is necessarily in the highness.

Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned that the celestial spheres are round and spherical in shape, and that the upper direction is the circumference, while the lower direction is the center. The celestial spheres have only two directions: highness and lowness. The six directions apply to living beings, not to the celestial spheres. He clarified that Allah encompasses all creation with an encompassing befitting His majesty, and that the seven heavens and the earth are in His hand smaller than a mustard seed in the hand of one of us.

He concluded that turning to Allah can only be towards highness, and it does not necessitate that Allah is spherical if the Throne is spherical, nor does it resemble the celestial spheres in their shapes, sizes, or attributes. He also stated that the assertion that one can turn to a sphere from all six directions is erroneous both rationally and religiously. Thus, the turning of hearts to Allah is towards highness, and no other direction.

He also pointed out that terms not mentioned in the Quran or Sunnah, whether in negation or affirmation, were not addressed by the Salaf, and clarification should be sought from the one who utters them.