Murtaza Motahhari attended the Hawza of Qom from 1944–1952, and then joined the University of Tehran, where he taught philosophy for 22 years. Between 1965 and 1973 he also gave regular lectures at the Hosseiniye Ershad in Northern Tehran.
Murtaza Motahhari wrote several books on Islam, Iran, and historical topics. His emphasis was on teaching rather than writing. However, after his death, some of his students worked on writing these lectures and manage them in order to publish them as books. As of mid-2008, the "Sadra Publishings" has published more than sixty books of Motahari and about 30 books written about Motahari or quoted from his speeches. Some of them are described below.
Morteza Motahhari opposed what he called groups who "depend on other schools, especially materialistic schools" but who present these "foreign ideas with Islamic emblems". In a June 1977 article he wrote to warn "all great Islamic authorities" of the danger of "these external influential ideas under the pretext and banner of Islam." It is thought he was referring to the People's Mujahideen of Iran and the Furqan Group (Guruh-i Furqan).
On May 1, 1979 Murtaza Motahhari was assassinated by gunshot by a member of the Furqan Group after leaving a late meeting at the house of Yadollah Sahabi. Ordibehesht 12 (1 or 2 May), the Persian date on which Murtaza Motahhari was assassinated, is celebrated as "Teachers Day" in Iran.
Murtaza Motahhari is the father in law of Iran's former secretary of National Security Council Ali Larijani. It was by Motahhari's advice that Larijani switched from Computer Science to Western Philosophy for graduate school.
In honor of Murtaza Motahhari, a major street in Tehran (Takhte Tavoos--Peacock Throne in English) was named after him upon his death shortly after the Iranian revolution in 1979. Murtaza Motahhari Street connects Sohrevardi Street and Vali Asr Street, two major streets in Tehran.