The word adat is derived from the Arabic word ʿādā́t (عادات), the plural form of ʿā́da (عادَة), meaning custom, or habit and is considered as synonymous with urf (عرف), something which is commonly known or accepted [REF].
Prior to the arrival of Islam, the peoples of North Caucasus and Central Asia had long-established codes of legal and civil law, which in the Islamic period came to be known by the term adat.