This study examines the linguistic and non-linguistic problems that students encounter in Arabic language learning and the strategies teachers use to address them at MTs Darul Ulum, Ternate City, North Maluku. This study employed a descriptive qualitative case study design. Data were obtained from one Arabic language teacher with more than three years of teaching experience and twenty students from Grades VII, VIII, and IX, selected through purposive sampling to represent varying achievement levels and mother-tongue backgrounds (Ternate, Tidore, and Tobelo). Data were collected through eight sessions of participatory classroom observation, semi-structured interviews with the teacher (15–20 minutes) and students (10–15 minutes per session), and analysis of supporting documents such as the curriculum and samples of student work. Data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña, comprising data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing, with credibility established through source and method triangulation. The results show that students' problems are multidimensional, spanning linguistic aspects (limited vocabulary mastery, grammatical difficulty, and multilingual mother-tongue interference) and non-linguistic aspects (low motivation, limited learning resources, and the absence of an Arabic-speaking environment). Teachers responded through direct-method instruction, drill and repetition, audiovisual media, contextual teaching, and language games. The findings suggest that these variative, adaptive strategies substantially improved students' classroom engagement, motivation, confidence, and grammatical understanding, even without exposure to Arabic outside the classroom.