While the people were offering the Fajr prayer at Quba' (near Medina), someone came to them and said: "It has been revealed to Messenger of Allah ﷺ tonight, and he has been ordered to pray facing the Kaʿba." So turn your faces to the Kaʿba. Those people were facing Sham (Jerusalem) so they turned their faces towards Kaʿba (at Mecca). (Using translation from Bukhārī 403)   

بَيْنَمَا النَّاسُ بِقُبَاءَ فِي صَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ إِذْ أَتَاهُمْ آتٍ فَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَدْ أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلَةَ قُرْآنٌ وَقَدْ أُمِرَ أَنْ يَسْتَقْبِلَ الْكَعْبَةَ فَاسْتَقْبِلُوهَا وَكَانَتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ إِلَى الشَّامِ فَاسْتَدَارُوا إِلَى الْكَعْبَةِ  

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived in Medina and prayed towards the direction of Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) for sixteen or seventeen months. The Prophet ﷺ preferred to face the Kaaba, so Allah revealed the verse: "We have certainly seen the turning of your face, [O Muhammad], toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram..." (Quran 2:144)

So, a man who was praying with the Prophet ﷺ among a group of Ansar (Medinan Muslims) who were praying in the direction of Bayt al-Maqdis, said: "I testify that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has been directed towards the Kaaba." So they turned towards the Kaaba. The foolish among the people, who were the Jews, said: "What has turned them away from their qiblah which they used to face?" (Quran 2:142)

Allah then said: "The east and the west belong to Allah. He guides whom He wills to a straight path." (Quran 2:142)  

قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ الْمَدِينَةَ فَصَلَّى نَحْوَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا أَوْ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُوَجَّهَ نَحْوَ الْكَعْبَةِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ {قَدْ نَرَى تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ} [البقرة 144] الْآيَةُ فَمَرَّ رَجُلٌ كَانَ يُصَلِّي مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ عَلَى قَوْمٍ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ يُصَلُّونَ وَهُمْ رُكُوعٌ نَحْوَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فَقَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَدْ وُجِّهَ إِلَى الْكَعْبَةِ فَتَحَرَّفُوا نَحْوَ الْكَعْبَةِ فَقَالَ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَهُمُ الْيَهُودُ {مَا وَلَّاهُمْ عَنْ قِبْلَتِهِمُ الَّتِي كَانُوا عَلَيْهَا} [البقرة 142] قَالَ اللهُ ﷻ {قُلْ لِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ} [البقرة 142]  

The Prophet ﷺ prayed facing Bait-ulMaqdis (i.e. Jerusalem) for sixteen or seventeen months but he wished that his Qibla would be the Kaʿba (at Mecca). (So Allah Revealed (2.144) and he offered ʿAsr prayers(in his Mosque facing Kaʿba at Mecca) and some people prayed with him. A man from among those who had prayed with him, went out and passed by some people offering prayer in another mosque, and they were in the state of bowing. He said, "I, (swearing by Allah,) testify that I have prayed with the Prophet ﷺ facing Mecca." Hearing that, they turned their faces to the Kaʿba while they were still bowing. Some men had died before the Qibla was changed towards the Kaʿba. They had been killed and we did not know what to say about them (i.e. whether their prayers towards Jerusalem were accepted or not). So Allah revealed:-- "And Allah would never make your faith (i.e. prayer) to be lost (i.e. your prayers offered (towards Jerusalem). Truly Allah is Full of Pity, Most Merciful towards mankind." (2.143) (Using translation from Bukhārī 4486)   

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ صَلَّى قِبَلَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا أَوْ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا وَكَانَ يُعْجِبُهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ قِبْلَتُهُ قِبَلَ الْبَيْتِ وَأَنَّهُ صَلَّى صَلَاةَ الْعَصْرِ وَصَلَّى مَعَهُ قَوْمٌ فَخَرَجَ رَجُلٌ مِمَّنْ كَانَ صَلَّى مَعَهُ فَمَرَّ عَلَى أَهْلِ مَسْجِدٍ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ فَقَالَ أَشْهَدُ بِاللهِ لَقَدْ صَلَّيْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قِبَلَ مَكَّةَ فَدَارُوا كَمَا هُمْ قِبَلَ الْبَيْتِ  

[Machine] That they turn to the Kaaba and men were killed, so we did not know what to say about them. Then Allah revealed {And Allah would not let your faith be lost. Indeed Allah is Kind and Merciful to the people}. It was narrated by Al-Bukhari from Abu Nuaim.  

أَنْ تُحَوَّلَ إِلَى الْكَعْبَةِ وَرِجَالٌ قُتِلُوا فَلَمْ نَدْرِ مَا نَقُولُ فِيهِمْ فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ {وَمَا كَانَ اللهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ إِنَّ اللهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ} رَوَاهُمَا الْبُخَارِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي نُعَيْمٍ  

[Machine] The Prophet ﷺ used to pray towards the direction of Masjid al-Aqsa and the Kaaba, with both of them in front of him. After moving to Medina, he continued to pray in this direction for sixteen months, then Allah Almighty changed the direction towards the Kaaba.  

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ يُصَلِّي نَحْوَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ وَالْكَعْبَةُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَبَعْدَ مَا تَحَوَّلَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا ثُمَّ صَرَفَهُ اللهُ تَعَالَى إِلَى الْكَعْبَةِ  

[Machine] I heard Saad say that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed after he arrived in Medina for about sixteen months towards the direction of Beit Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). Then after that, the direction was changed towards the Sacred Mosque (in Mecca) two months before the Battle of Badr, like this.  

سَمِعْتُ سَعْدًا يَقُولُ صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ بَعْدَ مَا قَدِمَ الْمَدِينَةَ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا نَحْوَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ ثُمَّ حُوِّلَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ قِبَلَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ قَبْلَ بَدْرٍ بِشَهْرَيْنِ هَكَذَا  

[Machine] From Ali: "Turn your face towards the Kaaba" [Al-Baqarah 144]. He said: "Turn yourself towards it." And Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz informed us that Abdul Rahman bin Al-Hasan Al-Qadi narrated to us, who narrated to us Ibrahim bin Al-Hussein, who narrated to us Adam, who was informed by Warqa' from Ibn Abi Najih from Mujahid regarding his saying "Turn yourself towards it," meaning towards the Kaaba. And Ali bin Abi Talha mentioned it from Ibn Abbas, who was informed by Abu Zakariya bin Abi Ishaq, who narrated to us Abu Al-Hasan Al-Tarayfi, who narrated to us Uthman Al-Darimi, who narrated to us Abdullah bin Salih, who narrated to us Muawiyah bin Salih, who narrated to us Ali bin Abi Talha from Ibn Abbas with the same meaning.  

عَنْ عَلِيٍّ ؓ {فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ} [البقرة 144] قَالَ شَطْرَهُ قِبَلَهُ 2196 وَأَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ أنبأ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ الْقَاضِي ثنا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ ثنا آدَمُ أنبأ وَرْقَاءُ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي نَجِيحٍ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ شَطْرَهُ يَعْنِي نَحْوَهُ 2197 وَكَذَلِكَ ذَكَرَهُ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَخْبَرَنَاهُ أَبُو زَكَرِيَّا بْنُ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ أنبأ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ الطَّرَائِفِيُّ ثنا عُثْمَانُ الدَّارِمِيُّ ثنا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ صَالِحٍ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ بِذَلِكَ