An Australian man who was once convicted for his part in whipping a Muslim covert 40 times as punishment for drinking alcohol and taking drugs is believed to have died while fighting overseas, shortly after filming a terrorist propaganda video.

Zakaryah Raad, 22, from Sydney, appeared in the 13-minute film titled "There is No Life Without Jihad", which was released on Friday by the militant group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Killed fighting in the Middle East: Zakaryah Raad. Credit:Ben Rushton

In the film, five jihadists are shown sitting in a rural area and holding rifles while trying to recruit people to join them in Syria and Iraq.

Wearing a black head dress and speaking in an Australian accent, Raad addresses his "brothers in Australia" and says that Allah "is bringing me here to this country".