Community Perceptions of the Use of Orang Cadiak Services and Their Implications for Aqidah Values: A Case Study in Durian Gadang Hamlet, Pariaman City

M. Aqil Shahzada (Universitas Negeri Padang)
Rido Putra (Universitas Negeri Padang)

AL-ADABIYAH: Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam
Vol. 7 No. 4 (2026): AL-ADABIYAH: Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam

Purpose: This study investigates community perceptions of the use of Orang Cadiak services, the forms of assistance attributed to these practitioners, and how participants interpret such practices in relation to aqidah in Durian Gadang Hamlet, Pariaman City. Method: The study employed a qualitative case study design involving six purposively selected participants: four residents who had used Orang Cadiak services to locate lost property, one knowledgeable non-user, and one religious leader. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation, and documentation. The data were analyzed inductively through data condensation, data display, conclusion drawing, thematic coding, cross-participant comparison, and examination of divergent cases. Credibility was strengthened through source and method triangulation, reflexive notes, and an audit trail. Participant codes and identifying details were anonymized to protect individuals in the small community. Main Findings: Participants’ perceptions formed an interpretive continuum rather than a binary division between acceptance and rejection. The continuum comprised confidence in specialized abilities, pragmatic consultation as ikhtiar, uncertainty and attribution to coincidence, and religious rejection. Orang Cadiak were associated with healing, consultation concerning personal and economic problems, and assistance in locating lost property. The perceived implications for aqidah depended not simply on consultation itself, but on the user’s intention, the source to which efficacy was attributed, and belief in independent supernatural power or unseen knowledge. Novelty/Originality: The study challenges the assumption that all users possess equivalent beliefs or that consultation automatically indicates weakened aqidah. It introduces an interpretive continuum that separates lived experience, causal attribution, and normative religious evaluation. Contribution: The findings enrich discussions of traditional knowledge, lived religion, and Islamic religious education and support culturally responsive, non-stigmatizing aqidah education.