Sometimes An, Ma, Illa, Bi, etc are used as stylistic, emphatic and rhetorical purposes in classical Arabic.

 Sometimes an, Ma are used as stylistic, emphatic and rhetorical purposes in classical Arabic

Yes. In Classical Arabic, particles such as أَنْ (an) and مَا (mā) are not always used because they are strictly required by syntax. In many contexts they also serve stylistic, rhetorical, or emphatic purposes. Their precise function depends on the context.

1. أَنْ (an)

Besides introducing a verbal clause or a subjunctive verb, أَنْ can be used for rhetorical or stylistic purposes:

• Clarification: It explicitly marks the beginning of a subordinate clause.
• Emphasis: It can make the intended meaning clearer or more forceful.
• Smoothness of expression: Classical Arabic often inserts أَنْ where omission would still be grammatically possible but less elegant.

For example:

أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ
"I want to go."

Here أَنْ is grammatically required. But in some Classical Arabic constructions, especially in eloquent speech and poetry, أَنْ may appear or be omitted for stylistic effect without changing the essential meaning.

2. مَا (mā)

مَا has many grammatical uses (relative pronoun, interrogative, negative, etc.), but it also has rhetorical functions:

• Emphasis (especially the so-called مَا الزائدة "extra mā")
• Generalization
• Strengthening negation
• Rhythmic and stylistic balance in eloquent prose and poetry

Examples:

• فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ (Qur'an 3:159)

Many grammarians explain مَا here as مَا الزائدة, meaning it adds emphasis and rhetorical elegance rather than introducing a new lexical meaning.

Another example:

• عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ

Here مَا contributes to the style and flow of the expression.

In Qur'anic Arabic

The Qur'an frequently employs particles like أَنْ, مَا, إِنْ, لَا, بِـ, and إِلَّا not only for grammar but also for:

• rhetorical emphasis (التوكيد),
• eloquence (البلاغة),
• precision,
• rhythm and flow,
• and highlighting subtle shades of meaning.

Therefore, when interpreting Qur'anic Arabic, it is important to consider both the grammatical function and the rhetorical/stylistic purpose of these particles. Classical Arabic grammarians and rhetoricians (such as Sibawayh, Al-Zamakhshari, and Ibn Hisham al-Ansari) often discuss these additional functions in their analyses