I think the word 'poor' is causing the confusion here, poor does not mean a lack of wealth rather it alludes to the qualities of 'sabar' and ' shukar' i.e. patience and gratitude. Those who have these qualities live in a state of bliss or vortex as we are now calling it. To be patient and thankful does not mean we stop dreaming but rather we allow things to appear in our life rather than chasing them which leads to greed and other vice. Therefore Islam and all other religions have been preaching LOA for thousands of years, unfortunately we never really understand our respective religions truly. I agree with Stingray that our understanding of religious texts for most part is based on translations and they have never been quite accurate.

Firstly one needs to question the very concept of heaven and hell and if indeed such places exist or is it just a state of mind that we humans relate to? There is no proof of heaven or hell existing as a place; however, the latter is a state of mind that most of us go through in our lives.

So, if heaven and hell are states of mind, then depending on whether a person is poor or rich and the state of mind they are in, the poor will see only more of the poor and the rich more of the rich. Obviously whoever made the quote must have been poor. Like attracts like.

The problem that English speakers have with quotes from the Qur'an or The Bible or many of the other spiritual works of other cultures is that we have to rely on the translations of others.

And for the quote to be translated accurately, the translator must clearly understand the spiritual and mystical intent of the original quote, the historical times the quote was referring to (obviously, for example, quotes about travelling by camel are nonsensical today) and also be able to express all those intents in a modern-day format in a different language for people who think in different ways and live different lives than a couple of thousand years ago.

That's a pretty tough job. Most of us (even on IQ, even in English) can't agree on the mystical/spiritual analogies of today, never mind ancient times :)

When those translations are made inaccurately - and I would say they are always inaccurate because, even excluding the above, written words are a poor substitute for the richness of conscious channelled thought - we get misunderstandings which often lead to conflicts.

For that reason, I think the true value of quotes in Holy Books lies in what they tell us about the people of today.

For example, if people are generally drawn to a quote that states that the majority of people in Heaven (wherever that is) are poor, it implies that the people of today don't feel prosperous...which is more of a reflection of current economic conditions than anything else.

Let's assume the extreme example that everyone on Earth tomorrow suddenly figures out how to become multi-millionaires and live extravagant, happy lifestyles.

Would that quote about poverty appeal to them? Of course not. It would be quietly ignored because it wouldn't suit the current times and the majority's way of thinking.

You asked what I thought about this ancient translated quote....I think (like many ancient translated quotes) it ultimately means whatever you want it to mean and the fact that you feel drawn to it can help provide insight into your own personal views as to why you particularly like it instead of the many other quotes that are in the many other Holy Books (including the Qur'an).

Like the Rorsach ink blot test, you'll interpret the words in a way that is reflective of what is currently on your mind...

Logic would seem to fit that the majority of people on Earth are poor. Hence the majority of people in Heaven would be people that were poor while here on Earth. It is a simple numbers concept, if the majority were to be wealthy than very few would get into Heaven since the wealthy only make maybe 5% of the people on Earth.

God/Allah/Universe is merciful in his nature, so his mercy covers everyone who is match to it.

The poor can be poorer it is his choice, and the rich can be richer it is a choice too. But God or whatever I can tag him, doesn't praise any thing upon other, he created all of them and we can attract whatever we want to attract. Universe doesn't interfere but obey.

Religion shouldn't promote poverty or lack, although their representatives do, they shouldn't promote it because heaven which they seek is rich, and when God wanted to reward some messenger he gave him wealth, Joseph, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad as stories said.

The formula of God + poverty seems illogical to the simple logic, because God is abundance and religious worship god to reach heaven and its wealth, also promoting wealthy people as devil is not right because they are part of the greatest wealth which is universe.

What is praised is the patience, the ability to endure but not poverty, not lack. lack is not praised it is cursed!

It does not appeal to me at all. That quote, especially "there majority were the poor" part tries to suggest conformity can be found in large number. People like to look for conformity, because it's easier than being who they want to be. Whenever you say you are part of something, you do that to conform yourself. People do the opposite of what they should do - depend on no-one, be part of nothing, for then they could become free and part of everything. But it's easy to depend on others.

Feeling the need to be part of a majority, of any opinion, belief, or way is showing you your fears of not being part of it, of not belonging. Don't look for strength in masses or others for that matter, but just yourself.

Believe and do things because you believe and want to do them. Not because majority of people believe or does them.

So, back to the quote. To me it's totally unimportant fact, that majority are poor in heaven, they could be rich and I would not care either. And in the end, definition of poor and rich is illusory and infinite. None of them and all of them is right. But because they are right, they are also wrong. Which means they just are.

I have not yet studied Islam, but I want to find out more. The poetry is exquisite, as is the art.

I would like to know more about your quote.

"I have looked upon the people of Heaven, the majority were the poor"

You continue with,

for me, i think its great to know such a fact, which shows some aspects of the infinite Mercy of Allah

Why do you consider it merciful? Is it because the inhabitants are poor? How does that relate?

The Quote I found continued with,

"I looked at Paradise and found poor people forming the majority of its inhabitants; and I looked at Hell and saw that the majority of its inhabitants were women."

I am also asking how this fits into salvation? I am just curious. Does Paradise consist mostly of poor men? Are women, by gender, considered less worthy of Paradise? Trying to understand.