Under his father's supervision, al-Modarresi followed a solid traditional curriculum in the hawza, studying classical works on various disciplines of Islamic jurisprudence as well as the ancillary faculties commonly taught at religious learning institutions. A graduate of the acclaimed al-Qaim Theological Research Institute at the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque in Damascus, al-Modarresi reached the level of Sotouh al Ulya (Upper Foundations). His classical curriculum embodied a methodology which crystallizes the middle way of Islam; respect for the differences between jurists, and a spiritual education drawn from the Qur'an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad and his Household; the Ahlulbayt.