Did the Prophet (ﷺ) face Jerusalem based on revelation, or was it by his own judgement?

Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:

1. It was by the command and revelation of Allah. [Ibn ʿAbbās, Ibn Jurayj]
2. It was based on his own reasoning and judgment. [Al-Ḥasan, Abū al-ʿĀliyah, ʿIkrimah, al-Rabīʿ] Additionally, Qatādah states that initially, people were free to face any direction in prayer based on the verse: "To Allah belong the east and the west" (Al-Baqarah: 115) but then the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded them to face Jerusalem.

Regarding the reason why the Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ) initially chose to face Jerusalem in prayer, there are two opinions:

a. To win the favor of the People of the Book (Jews and Christians). This was mentioned by some of the commentators. b. To test the Arabs by having them pray in a direction other than what they were accustomed to. [Al-Zajjāj]