Is Asma's saying, "What does it harm a sheep if it is skinned after it has been slaughtered?" contradictory to the Prophet's saying, "Breaking the bone of a dead person is like breaking it when he is alive?"

There is no contradiction between the noble Hadith and the statement of Asma bint Abi Bakr. The Hadith, "Breaking the bone of a deceased person is like breaking it while he is alive," refers to the sin and the prohibition of dishonoring the deceased. As for Asma's statement, it was to alleviate the pain of death for her son. The Hadith may also imply that the deceased experiences pain just as a living person does, and this is supported by Ibn Mas'ud's saying, "Harm to a believer in his death is like harm to him in his life." Asma's statement can be interpreted as an encouragement that what will be done to him does not diminish his status, or that she spoke based on her assumption.