Baha'i Faith/Symbolism/Leaves

In the Baha'i text, the leaf is almost always meant to symbolize the individuals place within a group. Some leaves can be healthy. Other leaves might be poisoned. But, all of the leaves need at least some sunlight in order to survive. The Sunlight represents the word of God. So, the leafs will all die without the word of God. Then, without the leaves, the whole tree will die.

Relation to Other Symbols
Leaf analogies are most often used along side other tree related analogies. This is particularly true of fruit. The close relationship between leaves and fruit speaks to the goal oriented nature of the tree analogy. As individuals, we should each investigate the word of God like leaves absorbing sunlight. Then we must feed nutrients into the branch. Thus, the tree will live and bear fruit.

The Bab
According to the Baha'i online library, the Bab only mentioned leaves twice. But, both times do appear to be symbolic. The Sun represents truth. The leaf is a thing that absorbs the Sun. That's the most obvious use of the symbol of leaves. But, the Bab appears to be using leaves to symbolize unity through truth. In the book "Selections from the Writings of the Báb" he tells humanity that God has "created you from one tree and have caused you to be as the leaves and fruit of the same tree, that haply ye may become a source of comfort to one another.

Baha'u'llah
Baha'u'llah has multiple purposes for the symbol of the leaf. First, lets take a look at how virtuous a leaf could potentially be. In "The Tabernacle of Unity" Baha'u'llah writes that "Upon the tree of utterance there hath never been, nor shall there ever be, a fairer leaf, and beneath the ocean of knowledge no pearl more wondrous can ever be found." However, in "Epistle to the Son of the Wolf" Baha'u'llah said that if there should be any "fruit, or leaf, or branch that would fail to believe in Him, God should cut it off forthwith." So, not all leaves are virtuous and healthy.

Abdu'l-Baha
Abdu'l-Baha used leaves in a way that usually reiterated his predecessors. However, the behavior of his metaphoric leaves was sometimes different from the way that literal leaves behave. Consider the following quote "Fear not if this Branch be severed from this material world and cast aside its leaves; nay, the leaves thereof shall flourish, for this Branch will grow after it is cut off from this world below". So, real leaves die when their branch is cut off. But, metaphoric leaves can live forever.