Do Ahadith Self-Validate Themselves as a Primary Source of Islam?

Question:
1) "Anything not from my Sunnah is rejected", sunnah being the actions, speech and consent of the prophet (saw). And also, "Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah, whoever disobeys Allah is about to be seized."

2) We also have actions performed by the Sahaba, which cannot be conveniently brushed under the carpet or ignored because they have no basis in the Qur'an.

I feel that these points certify the validity of hadith as a primary source of Islam. Please comment.

Response:
1) The hadith you've quoted is condemning bid'ah, which is an addition in religion (in Sunnah) in the name of religion. The definition of Sunnah you have given raises lots of questions:

i) Where has this definition come from, when the prophet himself told his companions not follow him in worldly matters? He is reported to have said:

"You know better (than me) about worldly matters" He is also reported to have said "and do not go after my personal opinions, but when I say to you anything on behalf of Allah, then do accept it, for I do not attribute lie to Allah" (Sahih Muslim)

ii) What religious sources were the Muslims following in the first two centuries after Hijrah?

iii) Should the Muslims still follow the prophet alaihissalaam, as a part of their religious obligation, in matters like travelling, curing the ill, preparing for war, architecture etc.?

2) The approach I am suggesting was the one adopted by Ayesha, radiallahu 'anha. When she would be approached by a companion of the prophet with a hadith from a fellow companion and even though it would be ten times more authentic than the most authentic report of Sahih Bukhari (because it would involve only one narrator, a Sihabi), she used to unhesitatingly "brush it under the carpet" if she would find the report against the Qur'an. There are several examples reported for this policy of hers. For instance, when she learnt that Abdullah Ibn Umar had reported that the prophet had said that the dead are punished when mourning women wail, she rejected it on the basis of the Qura'nic mention that no soul shall bear the burden of another. One of the outstanding attributes of the Sihaba, reported down to us, is that they all used to shut their lips in respect and submission on hearing the verdict of the Qur'an on an issue of dispute.

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