that the Throne encompasses created things as a sphere encompasses what is within it, or it is said that it is above them without encompassing them—like the surface of the earth on which we stand in relation to its interior, or a dome in relation to what lies beneath it, or otherwise—in either case, the Throne is above created things, and the Creator, glorified and exalted is He, is above it. When the servant turns towards Allah, he directs himself upwards, not downwards.

This discussion is completed by explaining the following:

The Third Point

We say: either the Throne is spherical like the celestial spheres and encompasses them, or it is above them without itself being spherical. If the former is the case, then it is known, by the agreement of those versed in this subject, that the celestial spheres are round and spherical in shape; that the upward direction is towards the outer surface, which is convex; and that the downward direction is towards the centre. The celestial spheres have only two directions: up and down.

As for the six directions, these pertain to an animate creature, which has six sides. It faces one direction, which is in front of it, and leaves another behind, which is at its back. One direction lies to its right, another to its left, another towards its head, and another towards its feet. These six directions have no fixed character in themselves; rather, they depend on relation and reference. Thus, what is to the right of one is to the left of another; what is in front of one is behind another; and what is above one is below another.

But the upward and downward directions of the celestial spheres