The preservation and maintenance of mother tongues within speech communities has been a subject of critical concern, particularly in multicultural and multilingual contexts. From a sociolinguistic lens, this study explores the challenges faced by a specific Arabic-speaking expatriate community, Jordanian mothers, in their efforts to transmit and maintain Arabic as a mother tongue within the unique context of cosmopolitan Dubai. The study sheds light on mothers’ multifaceted obstacles by analyzing data extracted from Facebook group postings in this speech community, guided by Fishman’s (1991) theory of Intergenerational Language Shift (ILS). A qualitative content analysis was conducted of the discussions within this particular group frequented by mothers who are not only active participants in the language maintenance process but also highly aware of the language shift in the second generation. Thematic coding using NVivo 12 was employed to identify recurring patterns and explore the multifaceted nature of challenges to language maintenance from macro and micro sociolinguistic dimensions. This research contributes to understanding language maintenance efforts within Arabic-speaking expatriate communities residing in Dubai. The insights derived from Facebook group postings provide a unique window into the lived experiences and challenges faced by mothers, who often play a central role in transmitting their mother tongues to the next generation. Understanding these challenges is crucial for developing targeted strategies and interventions to support Arabic language maintenance from a bottom-up approach.