Here are the two verses for reference:
is claimed to have been abrogated by
The case for abrogation of verse 2:115 is pretty weak. Here is a translation of 2:115 and of 2:144 (the verse that is claimed to abrogate it):
{2:115} And to God belongs the east and the west. So wherever you [might] turn, there is the Face of God. Indeed, God is all-encompassing and knowing.{2:144} We have certainly seen the turning of your face, [O Mohammad], toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah (prayer direction) with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram (the Grand Mosque in Mecca). And wherever you [believers] are, turn your faces toward it. Indeed, those who have been given the scripture well know that it is the truth from their Lord. And God is not unaware of what they do.The "case" for abrogation is that verse 2:144 fixed the
qibla direction to al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, while verse 2:115 seems to allow all directions. Well, verse 2:115 does not address the
qibla direction in the first place. It states that God is present everywhere. This is a statement of fact, not a command related to the
qibla direction or anything else.
Moreover, a common interpretation of 2:115 is that it justifies (rather than contradicts) the command in 2:144. The
qibla direction had been towards the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem before (though that had not been decreed through a verse in the Quran, so there is no abrogated verse in that regard either), and the change to Mecca caused the usual enemies of Islam to raise doubts about the religion because of this change, so verse 2:115 came to make it clear that fixing one
qibla direction or another has nothing to do with a physical location for God. It has to do with obeying a command from God. Following this command proved over time to be one of the most notable symbols of unity and belonging among the Moslems all over the world.