The Respect for the "Signs" of Allah

"And He shows you His signs: Which then of Allah's signs will you deny?" (Quran, 40:81)
Allah, the Almighty and All-Knowing has referred to the "Signs" of Allah several times in the Holy Quran. The "signs" have been places, events, personalities, catastrophes and many other things, but one thing which can be observed that according to the Holy Quran, the "Signs" (or Ayats) are meant to remind people of Allah, His Bounties, His Mercy, His Wrath, and his other attributes. Therefore, places, symbols, historical events or personalities, which serve as reminders and symbols for humanity, and strengthen the bonds of love and submission to Allah, are to be respected, revered and remembered, not only as a rite or ritual but also in their true spirit.
While the Quran refers to several things, the Signs are generally reminders and symbols for humanity. Therefore, in addition to those "Signs" mentioned in the Holy Quran, events and personalities like Hazrat Ibrahim's sacrifice, Imam Hussain's lesson from Karbala, Prophet Muhammad's character and places like Masjid-e-Nabavi and the Holy Ka'bah, all of which serve to strengthen man's ties and attachment to the Almighty, are to be respected and loved. Since we unfortunately live in a period when we cannot be contemporaries of these great personalities and evetns, we seek their relics, their traces and that is why things, places and relics attributed and associated with them become so important. It is not wrong to strengthen our love and belief through symbols and relics which remind us of these people, and subsequently, of the Divine Path of these Blessed people, Sirat-e-Mustaqeem. This is one reason why Muslims rever (or remember) the water of Zamzam, the stone Hajar-e-Aswad, the City of the Prophet, the Cave of Hira, the dust of Karbala, the "Devil's" pillar which is stoned during Hajj, the Maqam-e-Ibrahim (mentioned in the Holy Quran as a place of worship to be respected too)...... These form our symbolic and material bonds to the pure remembrance of these divine personalities.

Respect for signs or idol-worship? Shirk?
Some people in their ignorance think that Tawhid means love and respect only for Allah, and thus they attribute respecting and loving these symbols as "shirk" (associating someone with Allah) and they condemn all these things. Their point: Entertaining the love of anyone other than Allah is shirk.
However, they cannot understand the point that when we respect the Maqam-e-Ibrahim, we are not worshipping a stone or a place, rather cherishing and re-living the memory of Hazrat Ibrahim, whom we love. And we love Hazrat Ibrahim for his love for Allah and because Allah loves him... Therefore, when we trace this line of "love", we find that it originates from and ends at the Almighty Creator, the Most Merciful!!!!
If we read the following Quranic verses, (both occurring continuously), we observe that in the first verse, Allah has described "shirk" (associating someone with Allah) as a "fall from high on" and indeed, one who associate others with Allah, is like one who has fallen from a high pedestal to the greatest depths...
"Being upright for Allah, not associating aught with Him and whoever associates (others) with Allah, it is as
though he had fallen from on high, then the birds snatch him away or the wind carries him off to a far-distant place." [Quran, 22:31]
However we see that in the very next verse, Allah has allowed respect for the "signs" of Allah, and in fact, declared it as the outcome and natural result of piety and purity of hearts and feelings. Therefore, these two verses indicate that respecting and loving the signs of Allah cannot be "equated" with shirk, and indeed, it is a sign of piety....
"That (shall be so); and whoever respects the signs of Allah, this surely is (the outcome) of the piety of hearts." [Quran, 22:32]

Respect for the "Signs" of Allah recommended
"O you who believe! do not violate the (sanctity of the) signs appointed by Allah nor the sacred month, nor (interfere with) the offerings, nor the sacrificial animals with garlands, nor those going to the sacred house seeking the grace and pleasure of their Lord" [Quran, 5:2.9]
So the Quran tells us to respect the sanctity of people going to the sacred house for seeking the grace of Allah. Even animals and some sacred months have sanctity which should not be violated.....
Finally, as an answer to the allegations of "shirk" by those people who reject these signs and symbols and instead of respecting and loving them, seek to destroy or erase them,
...But none reject Our Signs except only a perfidious ungrateful (wretch)!" [Quran, 31:32]