"أَنْ" was commonly used in pre-Islamic poetry to mean "lest / for fear that / so that not", especially after verbs of fear, caution, or prevention.

 

Pre-Islamic Arabic Poetry (الشعر الجاهلي)

"أَنْ" was commonly used in pre-Islamic poetry to mean "lest / for fear that / so that not", especially after verbs of fear, caution, or prevention.

Example:

أَخافُ أَنْ تَفْجَأَني المَنيَّةُ
I fear lest death surprises me.

Here:

• "أَنْ" = lest.

• Followed by a subjunctive verb (تفجأني).

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✅ Summary

Context	Function of "أَنْ"	Meaning
Classical / Quranic	With verbs of fear / prevention	Lest / So that not
Classical / Quranic	With "لا" (as: أَنْ لا)	In order not to
Classical / Quranic	With present verb in subjunctive	To (introducing verb in mood)