Is "عمل" (magic/sorcery) real, in the sense of disrupting a person's life, and if it is, how can we protect ourselves from it and treat those who have fallen victim to it without resorting to charlatanism and sorcery?

The existence of magic is established by the Quran, Sunnah, and scholarly consensus. It is a knot, a word, or an act that affects the bewitched, and it may kill, sicken, or cause separation between spouses. However, it only occurs with Allah's permission. Whoever practices magic has committed a grave major sin and may even exit Islam if it involves disbelief. There are two ways to undo magic: a forbidden way, which is to have it undone by a magician, and a permissible way, which is through legitimate Islamic incantations (ruqyah) from the Quran and supplications, such as reciting specific verses from Surah Yunus, Al-A'raf, Taha, Al-Fatihah, Ayatul Kursi, and the two Mu'awwidhatayn into water, which is then poured over the bewitched person. A Muslim should also maintain the morning and evening remembrances and avoid sins to protect themselves from magic or to be cured of it.