Islam preserves people’s wealth and protects it against loss and destruction, and therefore it deems it allowable to slaughter a dying edible animal (i.e., whose consumption is permitted by the Laws of Islam) when sudden death approaches it, using any sharp object that cuts its throat and sheds its blood, to preserve wealth from loss. In this hadeeth, Ka’b ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) related that they had sheep grazing at Sala‘, a mountain in Al-Madeenah located 500 m or less to the west of the Prophet’s Mosque. The slave girl who was shepherding the sheep noticed that one was dying. She broke a stone and slaughtered the sheep with it. When Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him)learned of the incident, he commanded his family to refrain from eating its meat till he asked the Prophet ﷺ about it or sent somebody to ask him. So, he asked or sent somebody to ask the Prophet ﷺ and he ﷺ permitted them to eat it. It is deduced from the hadeeth that an appointed agent is urged to rectify what he believes to have gone wrong, strive to perform the required task, and do what serves the best interests of the principal. It is deduced from the hadeeth that it is permissible to use a stone to slaughter animals provided that it is sharp, cuts the throat, and splashes out blood. It is also inferred therefrom that it is allowable to eat the meat of a dying edible animal if it was slaughtered while it was still alive..