Is ‘walaya’ (righteous believers) also translated as ‘sainthood’?

Yes, it is translated as sainthood.

However, the first people who translated most of the Arabic or Islamic books into English are orientalists or scholars of other religions who specialized in Islamic studies or eastern religions. They translated this in various ways, which were adapted by the Muslims. So they translated walaya as ‘sainthood’ and hadith as ‘tradition’. And later the Muslims copied these translations.

But as far as its meaning is concerned, sainthood perhaps does not convey the correct meaning of walaya to every person who uses it because in other religions especially in Christianity also in deviant Islamic circles.[1]

Hence, it is better to translate it in the Islamic or Qur’anic context and understand it according to the ayah in which it is mentioned so that a person does not associate this word or concept with the deviant people’s concept of saints and sainthood. Just like the word ‘lord’ means ‘rabb’, but it is also used in reference to people; especially in Britain as the ‘House of Lords’.

And Allah knows best.

Reference:

[1] J.M Zarabozo, Commentary on the Forty Hadith of Nawawi, pp 1383